Happiness
by xxxAbbeyDawn
Summary: This is the sequel to Knives Hurt Worse. After the institution, what happens? And what went on there, anyway? Max and Iggy make a life for themselves, and live the American Dream.
1. Chapter 1

Heya peoples! This is the story of Max and Iggy's life after the institution. It has been five years, and since then everything has changed! I hope you guys likey!

This story will be written from Iggy's perspective, and I am going to make one to go alongside it with Max's perspective on everything. Soon, I'll even add a story of what Fang and Fi are doing.

Hope you enjoy, xxxAbbeyDawn

Disclaimer: That damned James Patterson still won't sell the copyrights to me.

**Chapter One**

**Losing It**

I looked over at Max. Her eyes were shining with happiness as she gazed out at the backyard.

Yes. We have a backyard.

Jace and Abbey were running around in the back, tackling each other, and playing tag, all at the same time. Max smopthed her hand down her swollen belly.

"You know, when we were younger, I never thought that we'd have a house," Max said, still watching our children. I took the few steps left over to her and swept her hair back from her face.

"Well, do you know, that when we were younger, I never thought I'd end up with someone as beautiful as you?" I asked, wrapping my arm around her. I gave her a quick peck on the cheek and turned back to the stove.

"Daddy! Daddy!" The door slammed open and Abbey ran in. She grabbed my legs and wrapped her skinny little arms around them tightly. I wobbled from the pressure.

"What is it, hon?" I asked, picking up the pot. I shuffled to the sink slowly and slid the lid halfway off and tilted it, letting the water pour out. Abbey watched the steam rise.

"Brother hit me!" She cried out, pointing at his leg. I set down the pot.

"Go ask Mommy, she'll help you," I told her, gently shaking her loose. Cold air from outside drifted in.

"Jace! Dinner!" Max shouted out the door, holding it open for him. "And get that mud off of you," she said. I smiled, remembering.

When Abbey and Jace had been little, littler than they were now, Max and I had struggled with them. We were two kids that hadn't been raised, except for Jeb. He did a pretty good job of it too, but he hadn't raised us when we were little babies. We had been too little to care and pay attention, and this was where it had gotten us now.

"What's for dinner, Daddy?" I heard Jace call out from the bathroom.

"Pork chops, broccoli, and- Max, what else?" I asked, turning towards my wife. She smiled at me.

"How about applesauce and mangos?" She suggested. I relayed it to Jace.

"But Daddy, I don't like broccoli!" Jace answered. Max walked to the bathroom, her footsteps awkward. This was another pregnancy, yes, but this time it was triplets instead of twins.

I laughed inwardly at the sight. I smiled, too, because I loved her. I loved the way she groaned when i tried to wake her up in the mornings, and the way that when I tried again, she would punch me.

It was my Max.

I set the table, ruffling Abbey's hair as I passed her. She protested, brushing my hand away with a giggle.

Max was carrying Jace to the table. She set him down on the ground and he ran to take up his seat on the opposite of his twin.

Max took the pork chops, dropping them onto my plate with her fingertips. I set the broccoli pot down in the middle of the table. Some habits are hard to break. We still have days, that when Jace and Abbey are away, that we go outside, build a fire, and have soup.

"Daddy, if you don't like broccoli, then why do you make us eat it?" Jace asked innocently. I was stumped by that one.

"Eat," I told him, to distract him from the fact that he had won. Max laughed and Jace grumbled.

After dinner, applesauce was all over the table, the walls, and our faces. Max and I were wiping our twin's faces clean when there was a bang on the door.

"I'm heeere!" A voice called out.

"Auntie Angel!!!" The kids shrieked. Max laughed as they ran to the door, hurriedly wiping their faces. I dropped my rag and stood, helping Max. She put her hand in the middle of her back to keep herself steady.

Angel walked in, let in by the kids. She grinned at Max and laughed, tossing her hair back rom her shoulder. "How far now?" She asked, patting Max's stomach lightly.

"One or two months left," Max answered with a grin. She hugged Angel and rested her hand on her belly. "I can't wait!" She said nervously, with a tinge of excitement in her voice.

"Aiieee!" Angel screamed out when Abbey grabbed her from behind. She reached down behind her to smooth Abbey's hair. "Don't scare me like that!"

Angel leaned in to whisper to us. "I'm glad I'm not having any anytime soon!"

Max looked at her protectively. "You better not! My little baby's still too young for it!" Angel rolled her eyes at her.

"Whatever," she said, and turned to me. "So, what's new, daddy-o?" Max glared at her and started to walk away. I kept her by me with my arm around her waist. She leaned into me, hugging me.

Max picked up my hand and set it on her belly. My eyes widened in surprise. "The babies are kicking," I said, and moved my hand over to the side so Angel could feel them too.

Max laughed and rubbed her belly. "They're loving all the attention," she murmured, looking up at me, her eyes glistening with tears. I wiped her eyes.

"Jesus, Max, you always cry about this! It's been almost five years!" Angel exclaimed, not thinking. Max looked at her meaningfully and she sighed, walking away. Her footsteps trailed out towards the living room.

"Sorry, Iggy. I just-" Max said, and her sentence was cut off by another short burst of tears.

"It's okay, Max. I do too. I do too," I said, rubbing her back. Back when we had been at the institution they had taken the babies. They had been weird, their bones at odd angles and missing arms or legs. They had given Max too many chemicals and tests, and then taken the malformed children.

We had heard their broken cries as their lives were cut off.

"Okay. I'm fine," Max said, catching her breath. I leaned down to peer into her face. I carefully wiped her tears away.

"You sure?"

Max nodded. I leaned closer and kissed her forehead. "Okay."

I led her out of the kitchen, holding her hand. She tightened her hold on my fingers for a moment before letting my hand drop. She looked at me gratefully and sat down next to Angel on the couch. Jace immediately clambered up onto her lap. He twisted her medium length hair in his fingers, twirling it around. She tilted her head down farther so he could reach more hair.

"What brings you here a week early?" Max asked Angel curiously. Her arms flew up, catching Jace before he fell and lifting him back up into a better position on her lap. Abbey crawled up to sit next to Angel, fiddling with her bracelet.

"I'll talk to you about it later," Angel said, looking at the twins. Max turned her head.

"Hey, Iggy. Angel's going to help me put the twins to bed, 'k?" Max told me. I nodded my head and headed back to our bedroom. I distantly heard the twins' protests and Angel and Max protesting right back.

I dug out the Tylenol from the drawer by the bed and shook out a pill, closing the drawer slowly and quietly. I walked softly to the bedroom, the carpeting cushioning my footsteps.

I turned the water on, letting a twickle of water come down. I swallowed the pill with a long chug of water. I glanced into the mirror above the sink and proved my suspicions true.

My blue eyes were becoming cloudy again.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay peoples. This is Chappie number two. I hope you read it, and review. Tell me! You know you want to push the little purple button!

Disclaimer: James Patterson. I envy you.

**Chapter Two**

**Telling Max**

I stared at Max as I carefully crawled into bed. She was sleeping, and I didn't want to disturb her at this time of night.

"Mmm. Iggy?" She muttered through the sleep.

"Shh. It's okay. Just go back to sleep," I told her. She shifted, pulling herself up into a sitting position and switching on the light.

"Iggy? Why are you so late?" Max asked, rubbing her eyes for a second. She yawned and then looked at me with alert eyes. I sat next to her for a second, debating on whether I should tell her the truth or not.

Max read me, calling me out on it. "The truth, please. If you will."

I nodded slowly.

"Max?" I asked, unnecessarily.

"Yeah?" She said, looking at me, a concerned expression on her face now.

"Have you noticed anything…different?"

"Well, you're a father, incredibly more mature, and we have a house. Does that count?" She said, looking down at my fingers. I was wringing my hands nervously. She set her palm down on my hands, stilling them. She closed her fingers over mine, grasping my fingers tightly. "What's wrong?"

I opened my mouth to say it, let it all out, and I heard Angel's voice outside the doorway.

"You aren't cheating on her, are you?" She called out, and then I heard the slap of her hand over her mouth.

"Shut up and go away!" I yelled at her, hoping the twins wouldn't wake. They were pretty solid sleepers, but you just never know with children.

After a few long moments I heard Angel's voice again.

"Well? Are you?"

I stood, walking over to the door quietly. I opened it with a snap and Angel fell down, her hands still up in the air as if pressed to the door. She looked up at me apologetically and stood, brushing herself off.

"I'll just go then!" She huffed, and turned away from my death glare.

I closed the door behind her and sat down on the bed next to Max again. She looked at me and picked up my hands again, listening.

"I- do you remember when I did that magic and got my sight?" I asked, nervously. Max nodded slowly.

"Yes."

"Well, um. I think the magic is wearing off," I said, watching her face.

"Which means…?" Max prompted, waving her hand for me to continue.

"I'm going blind again."

Max's jaw fell. She closed it hurriedly and I heard Angel's distant cry of "HE SAID _WHAT!??_"

Max and I both called out for Angel to shut up. Max settled back against the headboard, staring at the wall. I looked at her for a few seconds before moving closer. She leaned forward and I sat behind her, pulling her up onto my lap.

I tangled our fingers together and brushed her hair away with my other hand.

"What do we do now? What do we tell the children?" Max wondered, her voice barely a whisper. "Will your eyes last long enough to see these ones?" She asked, rubbing her stomach. I rested my other hand on top of hers, pressing down on it.

"I guess we just enjoy the time I have left with sight," I answered. "We can't tell them about the magic, and I have no idea how long they'll last."

Max thought a moment. I rested my head on her shoulder and peeked over it at her swollen belly. It looked even bigger from the back than it did the front.

I felt Max's fingers tracing lazy circles up from my fingertips to my elbow, and back again. She let out her breath in one huge sigh.

"There's one person who we know that can help," Max said tentatively.

"That's a long way for me to go," I told her, my voice soft. Her hair ruffled.

"Us."

"No."

"Uh-huh."

"No."

_"Yes," _Max insisted, her voice getting louder.

"_NO."_

"Yeah."

"No!"

Max turned her head to look at me over her shoulder. "Yes," She stated simply.

"Max. You're pregnant. You won't-" She cut me off.

"If you're going to loose your sight either way, I want you to see me one last time," she said, her voice soft and sad.

I thought about it for a second.

"How are we going to get the kids to keep up?" I asked with a sigh, giving in. I wouldn't make Max go through all that sitting at home, biting her fingers, wondering when I'll get home, if ever, and whether I had my sight or not.

"Angel could help us," Max suggested. Distantly I heard Angel's whoop of excitement.

"Shut up Angel!" We called out in unison.

"Okay. So she agrees. How are we going to get there? Washington is a long way, and I don't think we can fly all the way up there from Texas with twins and triplets on our backs," I said, looking up at the ceiling.

I counted the stars one by one, all one hundred and thirty-two of them, four times over, waiting for Max to speak.

"Can we decide as we go?" She asked, tilting her head back so she could see my face. I kissed her forehead.

"Do you want to stop off at your mother's? Let the children visit their grandma?" I suggested, half hoping she didn't hear me. Her reply shocked me.

"Yes. Let's do that," Max said decisively, nodding. " I want to see her, too."

Angel whined. We ignored her.

"You sure?" I asked, looking back up at the glow-in-the-dark stars glued to the ceiling.

Max nodded again. Her breathing slowed, and I pulled the covers up as high as I could from behind and underneath her, giving her belly one last pat before covering it.

I wrapped my arms around her, holding one of her hands. I rubbed it gently, kissing the back of it. I stared at my Max.

This could be my last glimpse of her. Or tomorrow night it could. I could even lose the rest of my sight during the middle of the day, in front of the kids.

I bit my lip.

I took a deep breath and calmed my thoughts, reordering in my head all the images. Max, Jace and Abbey, Angel, Gazzy, Fang, and the whole family together. I pasted Nudge onto it, ignoring the slight pain I felt.

Nudge had never made it out of there.

Dead, or alive.


	3. Chapter 3

WOW! Third chappie! Awesomeness! Fourth will be up soon, people, so if you like this story and where it's going, check it out soon!

Disclaimer: That damned James Patterson will not succumb to my torture. I am ripping his arms off slowly and painfully, but he's still too stubborn to give it over.

**Chapter Three**

**They're Coming!!**

I woke slowly, the bright early morning sun burning my eyelids. I felt Max's weight on my lap, numbing my arms. I carefully slipped them out from under her.

I could hear the mess of sounds from the kitchen, food being thrown around the room. I heard Jace's quick and stumbling footsteps down the hall, and then Angel's chasing after him.

"Max," I muttered, shaking her lightly. Her eyelids fluttered open.

"Ngh," she muttered back, and closed her eyes again.

"Max," I whispered in her ear, shifting my legs underneath her. "Come on, babe. Wake up."

Max reached back and held the side of my face a moment before fisting her hand and crashing it into my head. I winced.

"Jesus Ch_rist_!" I muttered. "You didn't have to hit me _that_ hard!"

"Don't wake me up so early, then," she muttered, and opened her eyes. She peeled my hands off of her, they had been clasped over her belly.

Max moved sideways, off of my legs. She stood slowly, stretching. Her mouth stretched into a tiny "Oh," of surprise and her hands fell to her belly again.

"Here," she said, and lifted my hand. She pressed it onto her belly again and I bent, pressing my ear to it.

"Hello there, little winged children," I said lightly, talking to them. Max grinned and laughed.

"I don't know if they can hear you down there," she said, and ruffled my hair. I turned my head up, grinning at her.

"There's my pregnant wife," I said, and straightened up. I held her face gently and kissed her softly, lingering. I rested my forehead on hers and looked into her eyes.

"It'll be all right," Max said, her eyes wide as she looked up at me. "It will. I know it will."

I kissed her again, and just then, Angel burst in the door.

I heard the scrape of her feet as she whirled back around, slapping her fingers over her eyes.

"Damn. I come at the worst times," she muttered, before taking slow deliberate footsteps out of the room without once taking her hand off of her face. She made her way down the hallway slowly.

I pulled away from Max, grinning. She smiled, taking my hand in hers and lacing our fingers together.

"It'll be all right," she repeated, and her smile widened into a grin. She dressed quickly, waiting impatiently for me to finish. She started tapping her foot. "Come on Iggy. Hurry up!"

I pulled on my sweatshirt, zipping it up. Max glanced at me, in her dark purple shirt and light jeans. I took a few steps closer to her and I heard Angel's footsteps again. I hugged Max close, wiping the tears away from her cheeks.

"Aww, Dad!" I heard Abbey's voice. I glanced over to see Angel carrying Abbey, wiping her face clean. She had oatmeal all over her hair. I groaned.

"Bath time!" The little girl announced, throwing her hands high above Angel.

"Make sure you get her feathers all the way dry," I told Angel, before she grinned at us and walked to the bathroom. I heard the water start running and little splashes. Angel talked to Abbey.

"Breakfast?" I asked Max quietly, brushing her hair back from her face and looking into her eyes. She nodded lightly and pulled me closer into a tight hug.

Breakfast was quiet. Angel had already given Jace and Abbey breakfast, so we were the only ones left that had to eat. I made Max an omelet while she was in the bathroom adjoining our bedroom, puking her guts out.

After I had her omelet on the table, I went in to check on her. She was slumped over the toilet seat, clutching her stomach, and gritting her teeth. A panic haze fogged up my mind.

"Max! What happened?" She moaned and hung her head, letting her hair fall in a curtain over her eyes.

"Angel! Get in here!" I hollered, and fell to my knees by Max. Angel's quick footsteps met my ears as I pulled Max's hair back.

Angel ran in, her eyes wide. "What's wrong? Max!"

I looked back at Max and lifted her hand. She clenched her fingers around mine and tightened them, letting them loose after a second and tightening her hands again.

"Shit!" I said loudly, giving Max my other hand to squeeze. "They're coming prematurely! Call Dr. Jones!" I told Angel, kissing Max's forehead.

I dropped one of her hands and reached up to open the cabinet. There were medicines in there, ranging from everything from children illnesses to pregnancy meds. There were even some that doctor Jones had prescribed us to counterbalance all the chemicals the institution had given to us.

As I rifled through the medicines, looking for a Tylenol, Angel ran into the bathroom, phone in hand. I rattled off the number to her and she started pacing the room, waiting for him to pick up.

I popped the top of the pill bottle and shook one out into my palm. I held it up by Max's face and she took it obediently, swallowing it dry.

"Yes, Dr. Jones. This is Angel, calling from the Ride house," Angel said quickly, nibbling at her fingertips. Max squeezed my hands again and let out a small cry.

"Max is having her babies prematurely," Angel said hurriedly. "I don't know what to do and Iggy told me to call you."

She paused, listening to the crackling on the other side. Angel nodded. "Yes. Thank you," she said, and set the phone on the countertop. She started searching through the pill bottles. I held my hand up, showing her the Tylenol in my hand.

Angel shook her head, biting her lip. "No. He said to give her number six eighty-two."

My brows wrinkled in confusion. "But six eighty-two's for the radiation. Why's he say she needs that?"

"I know it's for the rad. I take it too, you know. Three times weekly. I don't know. It's got sedatives in it, though, so maybe he wants her asleep for it."

"You don't take it as often as I, _or_ Max does. Of course he wants her asleep for it. Hold on Max, babe. It'll be alright. Dr. Jones is going to be here soon," I told her, and figured the numbers in my head. It was an hour's drive from his house, but of course, he had wings, so that would get him here much faster. "Ten minutes Max, just hold on."

"Okay, here it is. Give her this," Angel said, handing me a six eighty-two. I held it to Max's mouth and waited for her to get it in her mouth. I held a cup of water that Angel handed me to her lips, and Max tipped her head back. She drank, swallowing the huge pill.

"It's okay Max. Just hold on until he gets here," I muttered in her ear. She nodded tightly, squeezing my hand again. Angel knelt next to me and gave Max her other hand. I looked at her and let the Max's hand drop, and leaned in to her belly. I closed my eyes and listened as hard as I could. I could hear the four separate heartbeats.

Max's was slow and sluggish, from the pills. The other three were light and quick, the miniature hearts beating as hard as they could. I bit my lip, making a decision.

"Hand me a one forty-three," I told Angel, my voice high and stressed. Her gasp was audible.

"You can't give her _that_ when she's in labor! What if it affects the babies?!" Angel shrieked. I shook my head.

"She hasn't taken most of her pills in a long time. She really does need it, and it will get her heart faster. It won't hurt the triplets."

Max ground her teeth together, and her hands shook as she squeezed Angel's. Her mouth went slack and her voice was tight and strained.

"The twins," she stated, and then let out another cry of pain. I squeezed her shoulder and she nodded her head.

"Give _her_ _the_ _one forty-three_," I told Angel as I ran out the door. I stopped at the front door to yell out.

"Jace! Abbey?" There was no response and I heard the back door banging open and nearly closed, bouncing off the frame.

I ran out the door, screaming as flicked out my wings. "Abbey! Jace!"


	4. Chapter 4

Hola, peoples. This is chapter 4, and I strongly reccomend that everyone comments, because if you don't my little James Patterson envy voodoo doll will blow your brains out.

: )

Disclaimer: I hate James Patterson for not selling the copyrights of the Maximum Ride series to me, despite the torture.

**Chapter Four**

**Realizing**

I soared above the house, looking for anything moving. Dr. Jones had passed me earlier in a hurry, his feathers brushing my face lightly as he whipped by.

I couldn't see any blotches of color that were out of place: couldn't see anything that gave me hope.

"Abbey? Jace?" I whispered quietly, my heart wrenching. My Max was in pain beneath me and our children had disappeared.

"JACE!!" I hollered one last time. "ABBEY!!!"

A flutter of cloth caught my eye. I brought my wings in, freefalling until I could touch the cloth scrap.

I could barely make out the blue pen on it, and gently tugged it off the tree. It was a purple-yellow, one of Jace's old mustard stained shirts. The piece had a bit of the blue logo from the front of his shirt.

I struggled to keep my composure as I read the words printed on it.

Iggy,

We know what is happening to you.

If you want answers, come to Seattle. We'll give them to you, provided you meet our simple requirements.

Your wife and your kid's lives depend on it.

The note gave an address, and I crumpled the cloth in my hand. I gritted my teeth, grinding them together. The first thought in my head?

_REVENGE_

_REVENGE_

That dirty, dirty word that had caused Max and the rest of the flock so much pain, so much trouble, and so much horribleness, was the same thing that I wanted right now. They had taken my children, Max's, from right under our noses, and wanted a fight.

That's what they'll get.

I calmed myself down, sitting on the tree, farther down so the branches would support me. I took a breath, and let out a string of curses on it.

"Goddamned fucking bastards!" I screamed into the night, not realizing how much time had already passed. I clenched my hands into fists, digging my fingernails deep into the skin.

I stared at the crescent moons, scarlet flowing out of the tiny cuts. I breathed in sharply and pressed my hand to my leg. The bleeding stopped almost immediately as I focused all of my magic on it.

No, I hadn't forgotten my powers in all that time. I refused to change my appearance into the creature my almost-sister assumed, even though it was the only form she had ever known. You could shoot for a little humanity once in a while, you know?

But my magic, this incredible, astounding thing, would not work against anything man-made. It would not heal my Max, and it would not heal me. It wouldn't even heal our children, they were so steeped in chemicals.

I let myself fall off the branch, clinging to it before I dropped down. The needles slapped at my face, tugging at my arms on the way down.

I walked slowly, trying to quiet the thunder in my head. There were voices screaming for blood, screaming for death, and voices yelling at the top of their lungs for the others to shut up, listen to reason, and deal with first things first.

The trees released me from my arguments with a last patch of utter darkness. I passed into the lighter, grayer darkness, and the bright halogen light from the back of our porch. Angel ran out the door to meet me.

"Iggy!" She said loudly, flinging out her hand to stop me from barreling through the door. I stopped short of it, looking down at the offense.

"Max-the babies-" Angel said haltingly, looking at me sorrowfully with her blue eyes. A tear bubbled up from the corners and it shocked me.

I threw her hand away from me and shoved the door open. I faintly heard sobbing. "Max! Max!" I yelled, frantic to reach her. The hallway went on and on, though, and door after door I passed flew open to reveal blank white emptiness.

It took me several rooms of covered furniture to realize what was happening.

The darkness bent around me, making waves. I heard an evil laugh and a scream of my name.

My head whipped around, trying to find the source in the darkness shaking around me. It started vibrating and I heard a deep rumble in my ears.

"Max!!" I called out. "Angel! Max?!"

The floor beneath me cracked, fracturing. The thin, spaghetti thin line wavered as it made it's way slowly toward me and I backed away from it just as slowly. The beginning of the crack widened, yawning open at me.

I saw into the deep darkness, the blue, and the dark green that shimmered out at me. It laughed in a high-pitched voice, and giggled.

"It's your ti-ime!" It called out in it's childish voice, drawing out the 'i'. "Come, Iggy! Come home!"

It laughed again and a hand reached out, grasping for me. My breath caught again, for the fifteenth time in the last five seconds.

I turned around and ran wildly away from the huge gash in the floor. I heard the flooring crumbling behind me, sounding even more like a volcano about to blow. It came nearer, and I turned my head back to glance at it and fell…

"Iggy! Iggy! Wake up!" Max yelled in my ear, shaking me awake. "We have to get out of here!"

My eyes snapped open as I heard the deep rumble and the crack of the walls. Looking out from under the table I could glimpse the lights swaying from side to side, their light beams wavering. They flickered on and off in time with the rumbling.

I looked up into Max's wide eyes. They were scared, scared shitless. Her lip trembled and she clung to me like a life-raft.

I suddenly realized that it had all been a dream. It had all been a stupid, crazy dream. Who would even think of us, half birds, owning a house and raising children? Certainly not me.

I was shook, though, by the reality of it. Max _was_ pregnant, and this was my brain telling me what might happen.

I was brought back to the present by a tear on my hand and the crash of a chunk of ceiling falling down next to the table. It dented inwards, the cold steel reflecting bent light.

I pulled Max down to the ground, curling her up into a circle as best I could, and huddling over her.

My back rubbed up against the table above me and I could feel the vibrations of everything around us falling down.

I bit my lip, holding back the pain as the table split and a chunk of plaster hit the middle of my back. Max cried out my pain, pulling me down, closer to her. I held her tightly underneath me and willed us to get through this.

After a few long minutes of back and mind splitting pain, the rumbling abruptly ceased. Max's cries faltered in the utter silence around us.

Her scared eyes looked up at me, wild and wide. Her breath came in short puffs, the fear stressing her. I placed a hand gently on her cheek for a moment, and shook the concrete and plaster off my back.

"Angel," Max whispered under her breath. She stood quickly, holding her stomach and wincing in pain. I helped her up with my hand, steadying her. She gripped my hand tightly and started yelling.

"Angel! Nudge! Gazzy! Fang!" It was like a mantra as we stumbled over the wreckage of the collapsed building. Plaster puffed up at us as it shifted.

The light around us was gray-purple, the white powder settling down to land on us. Max's head whipped around as we heard different weak cries.

"Max…" a voice mumbled softly, painfully. I heard another one saying my name.

We each rushed to the sources, Max sliding down chunks of walls and ceiling more often than climbing up them. I found Gazzy, the top of his head peeking up from beneath two wide slabs of tiled ceiling. The tiles were broken, shattered, not one still intact.

I dug frantically for someone who's voice I could no longer hear.

"Gazzy! Come on, you can't be doing this to me now! Gazzy!!" I heard his small cough and felt the light grip of his hand on my arm as I reached down to pull him up.

"I…Iggy…" He mumbled, coughing up white dust. He was coated in it, like a ghastly angel straight from a horror movie.


	5. Chapter 5

Comment! Push the purple button!

Disclaimer: James Patterson rules, if only for the fact that he invented Maximum Ride.

Awsomeness.

**Chapter Five**

**Simplicity**

Max was making her slow way over to me, carrying Angel in her arms. She skidded, almost dropping her.

"Iggy?" Angel called out tentatively, trying to see me through the gathering darkness. "Gazzy?"

We both choked out our hello's, and then Gazzy realized something.

"Where's…Fang?" He asked, looking up at me. Max's tired eyes flew open again and she scrambled to her feet.

"And Nudge…?" Angel whispered, her little voice scared and breathless.

"Fang! Nudge!" We called out for them, our cries mingling together until it was a mutated 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' chorus. We fanned out in all directions, searching for our brother and sister.

I glanced up into the darkness, seeing a darker shape hurtling toward me. It skidded to a halt before me and I opened my mouth to yell out that I had found Fang before he slapped his cool hand over my mouth.

"Do not tell the others you saw me," he hissed in my ear threateningly. "I have to go find Fi, and that will be easier alone than with all of _you_ trailing along with me."

He said the _you_ with disgust and contempt in his voice, and spat on the ground near my feet.

"I'm sorry, Iggy. I have to go alone," Fang whispered, letting his hand drop from my mouth. I took a deep breath, and held it.

"What makes you think you can get away with this?" I asked accusingly. Fang shook his head sadly.

"I don't. That's why I'm saying goodbye, brother," he said sadly.

"And what do I tell the rest of the flock, huh? What if I tell them you died and we run into you later?" I asked, my voice rising in pitch.

"Then don't tell them I died. Tell them you saw me flying away!" Fang whispered hurriedly, and brought me into a tight hug. "Goodbye," he whispered in my ear, and thumped his hand on my back once, and let go. He turned around, taking to the air immediately and soaring away.

I stood there for a while, watching his dark shape fly away. "Goodbye, Fang," I said under my breath once he disappeared. "Brother."

I turned around and made my way back to where we had started.

Max was standing there, holding Angel's hand. Her eyes were welling up with tears, spilling out over their banks to flow down her cheeks. I stood next to her in silence, holding Max's hand tightly.

Gazzy returned a few moments later, his face sad and his eyes shining with unshed tears. He looked up at us, open-mouthed.

"You…didn't…" Gazzy let his sentence trail off as his breath caught and the tears fell. He held his hands up to his eyes, trying not to let us see his tears. Max's breath became shallower and she kneeled to hug Angel tightly.

I walked slowly over to Gazzy, trying to keep my footing on the slick rubble. It had started raining on our gloom and despair, a funeral taking place.

Gazzy hugged me tightly, sobbing into my shirt hem. I kneeled down and wrapped him in a fierce hug. He tightened his arms around me and I let him sob until his eyes ran dry.

Thunder crackled overhead. I glanced up just in time to catch the next shot of lightning down to the earth, and then the thunder, not even a second later.

Gazzy tilted his head back, staring up at the sky, paying no attention to the cloud tears dropping into his eyes. Angel stumbled over to us, her hands in fists. Max followed soon after and we stood, next to the last half of our flock. Gazzy and me, Angel and Max. We were the only ones left.

The lightning came much closer and the flock as a whole made an instant decision without communicating.

We spread our wings and flew. The lightning felt close enough to touch, the electricity making all of the hairs on my arms stand up. It felt like it was coming closer, and closer, but we still flew.

I could barely make out the shape of Max next to me, her blurred form drifting away from me. Gazzy was below me, as close to Angel as he could get. Max kept watch on them, glancing down every time the lightning gave her enough light to see by. It stopped suddenly, and the rain pouring down on us lightened up a bit. The clouds barely cracked, and I slowed down.

I was reluctant to leave them behind. Wherever Fang went, we couldn't find him now. Nudge was gone. Max was an emotional wreck, and Gazzy was trying to hide his tears and pain from his sister.

Me?

I couldn't feel anything. Nothing but the cool and desperate need to feel the slice of a blade, deep into my arms. I could almost feel it sinking into my wrists, again, and again, and again.

I could almost see it, held in my hand, my long fingers cradling the handle gently, like the most precious thing in the world.

A tool.

A tool to distract me from the horrible, searing pain I felt inside.

A tool that I could use to end it all.

I was in complete and utter denial.

I stared at Max. The firelight bounced off of her face, making it glow. She was staring down at it mindlessly, like the way I was staring at her. I could see her fingers twitching, going back again to trace the scars on her wrist and her hand curl up as if she held a knife in her hand.

Gazzy and Angel sat close to us, but still far away from the fear and pain that we emanated. Gazzy held Angel as she cried, choking back his own tears in fear that it would make her feel even worse.

I knew the feeling. But now, Max was doing it to me. The whole time she had cut her wrists, those long weeks, that torture she put us both through, the one she inflicted on herself. She had forgotten that it would hurt me, too. She had forgotten that it would not just affect her if something happened.

It would affect us all. Me, the most. During that time I had almost wished for one tiny second that she had cut herself too deeply to come back, just so that Fang would know that it was his fault. At least something was his fault.

I had hid my own pain, shoving it down with the smooth knife. The way she hid hers. But mine was for a different reason. She hated herself. She hated the feeling. She hated the feeling of the pain Fang had unintentionally caused her.

And worst of all, she hated that nobody noticed.

Nobody heard her silent tears. They didn't see her invisible motions. They hadn't felt the hidden pain she felt.

All hidden by one big, larger one.

Knives hurt. They hurt more than feeling. To feel that blanket of security, seeing your life flow out, that was our crack. That was the crack that we stole moments of, in the closet, or late at night, to bury ourselves deeper and make it harder to come back.

Knives.

Hurt.

Worse.

It's as simple as that.


	6. Chapter 6

I like returning back to the old, depressive Max. It's more like me, and I think Max, as the great leader she's supposed to be, will always have those moments, and always have those huge revelations afterward.

Sadly, the disclaimer could not be put here because you-know-who threatened me with a court order, and now I can't even say James Patterson- oops.

He owns max.

For now.

**Chapter Six**

**Max's Knife**

(0.0) Max (0.0)

Iggy's eyes slowly fell closed. I stared blankly as he sagged, and Gazzy stood, sitting next to him to support him.

Where had they been?

Where had _this_ been?

The support?

The help?

Nobody had seen me cry.

Nobody had felt my pain.

Nobody heard my cries.

My cries of help.

They were tortured, warped beyond recognition.

It wasn't help for something the great Max asked for.

It was help that she needed, without asking.

Nobody had given it.

Because they hadn't seen my tears, felt my pain, heard my cries.

I had stayed silent.

I kept my mouth shut, instead using the pain of the knife, craving it, becoming addicted to it.

It got me high.

High off the pain, high off the relief of that pain gone.

Even for just a few moments as I watched dully as the blood leaked out of me.

I could feel the knife again.

Heavy in my hand.

Reflecting the light.

The smooth handle between my fingers.

The sharp edge meeting my skin.

The ecstasy as the knife broke through.

The dull pain as the blood flowed out.

The scarlet ribbons, tracing their way down my arm to my elbow.

They curved around my hand, dripping off the back to fall on the floor.

Sadness.

At the pain ebbing, flowing away.

The only evidence it left of it ever having been there the half-dried blood and the new scar.

And the happiness.

My heart soaring.

As I realized I still held the knife.

I still had a wrist.

And I still had a pain that I needed to go away.

And the knife piercing my raw skin again.

I could still feel it.

I could still feel the slight awkwardness as Iggy sat next to me at first, stared down at my red arm.

And picked up his own knife, changing the awkwardness to sad happiness.

The sad happiness filled my veins back up, full to the brim.

It choked me with tears.

Not of pain.

No, those were long gone.

Tears of insane joy.

Insane that I was happy to have someone share my pain.

Insane, that someone hurt enough to share my pain, and give a little of their own away.

Passing it off, like trading crappy pens.

Giving someone your crap for their crap.

I hadn't known how much that hurt Iggy.

I hadn't realized that my pain was not the only one that needed help.

I hadn't realized how much Iggy felt, before it was impossible to keep him from hurting, too.

I hadn't put a stop to this, before it all began, or even when it started.

I didn't lift a finger to help myself, only leaving people to pick up the sliced apart pieces of me and try to fit the straight-edged jigsaw puzzle back together.

The jigsaw puzzle that was left of me.

My mind fought.

Let myself hurt.

Let myself cry.

Let myself bathe in the pain.

Or let Iggy hurt.

Let Iggy cry.

Let Iggy drown in the pain.

Watch either one of us fall to pieces again, and never say a word as the other tried to pick us back up, trying to divvy up the pain, trying to relieve some of the other's, to help them and heal them, put together the jigsaw puzzle.

At our own expense.

I chose Iggy.

I chose to help him this time, instead of worrying only about myself.

I choose.

I choose this time.

Not the knife.

_ME_.

This is all my turn, my time to live.

My time to let the knife drop.

My time, and my turn to shout out loud that I have a mind, that I don't totally depend on the knife and the pain.

In my mind, it clattered to the floor in a halt, the dark light brightening a little.

I stood slowly, my legs stiff from sitting for so long, unmoving.

"I-Iggy…" I whispered as he started to walk away. "Iggy. Iggy!" My voice grew from it's weak mumble to a stronger voice, but still not strong as it used to be.

"Don't…leave…" I mumbled, half to myself. Iggy stared at me, his gaze softening.

"I'm not leaving you," he said, coming closer, back to me. I felt his warm, strong arms envelop me as my whole body shook with sobs. "Ever."

His voice had a fierce tone to it, and it convinced me. It convinced me that he _wouldn't_ leave. It told me that he was unable to, also.

My arms wrapped around him told him that I would never let him go.


	7. Chapter 7

wow. I love Iggy, like, a thousand times more than before right now.

Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride and Co.

**Chapter Seven**

**Four to One**

Iggy (0.0)

I stood as she shook in my arms. Her own arms were wrapped shakily around me, holding on for life. Her sobs were finally out, the tears finally falling, after being pent up for so many days.

I was scared. She had sat there, unresponsive, for days. Day upon day, I tried to get her to eat, sleep, move, talk, even just shift her eyes.

She refused. She had bricks walls around her, protecting her from everything that hurt. And now, the walls had failed.

The walls crumbled into little chunks, falling at our feet. Her body became warmer again, and she looked more…alive.

More alive than she had been in a long, long while.

I felt a small smile crack out, appearing onto my face like a magic trick that Max had cast over me. And suddenly, just as fast, it disappeared.

It was wiped off the face of the planet as Max went limp in my arms. She sagged, and I sagged with her, trying to keep her up.

"Max! Max!" I yelled in panic. "Come on, babe! Max!"

A tear fell from my eye as I shook her, trying to get her awake. "Max…"

Angel rushed to my side. "Iggy! We're close to a town, a town with a hospital!" Angel screamed, snapping me out of it. "If we hurry, we can at least save Max!"

Gazzy and Angel helped me pick Max up. She was deadweight as we flew, trying to carry her and stay up all at the same time. We dropped down in front of a tall, white building.

The doors slid open to admit us into the emergency room, and under the fluorescent lights I finally noticed the growing red stain spread across her front.

"Help! Help!" I cried out. Angel was in tears and Gazzy was falling to pieces. They hauled her up onto a chair, keeping her up.

A nurse rushed to our side, taking her pulse and feeling her forehead. She was screaming out a mix of numbers and colors, technical words spread all over the place.

The only word that registered was _miscarriage._

I yelled as they raced her away, whisking her off into a set of double doors. I ran after her, struggling to get out of the hands restraining me and to get to my Max.

"Sir! You need to let the doctors work! It is a delicate procedure, and you need to calm yourself down!"

I quieted down when the word _procedure_ hit my brain.

It was a bullet, one just as sharp as _miscarriage_.

_She could _die, I realized, and sank to the shiny white floor beneath me. Tears fell from my eyes and the nurse pushed Angel and Gazzy toward me.

Angel sank down next to me and I felt her little arms around my waist. Gazzy's hand fell onto my head, laying his other hand on his sister's shoulder. The nurse looked at me sympathetically as Angel's tears stopped gradually and Gazzy's breath went back to normal.

I choked my tears back, wiping my face roughly. I stood, shaking.

"Can I watch…?" I mumbled to the nurse, and she nodded. She led me to a window, chicken wire between the two panes, little diamonds crisscrossing in front of my eyes.

At least maybe I could see her die, if she never lived to see my face again, I could see hers one last time.

I pressed Gazzy's and Angel's faces to me, wishing there wasn't so much blood. The nurse left me to watch as they lifted out three dead babies from Max, one live one, and sewed her back up.

The babies were twisted horribly, their wings sticking out at weird angles. They didn't twitch as they were brought out of their mother, but the doctors did.

One stared in astonishment at Max, the others screaming, or dropping the babies almost instantly. Max's face was bloody, her hair tangled.

The only child alive, was perfect. It had two legs, two arms, two wings, and it wailed as it came out.

The doctors dropped it off at a nurse disgustedly. They wiped the blood off of Max and a nurse wheeled her out, the one that had taken the baby.

The doctors passed by me, staring at me in clear disgust. They had guessed rightly that I was the one that had done this to her, made children like this.

I turned around, breathing deeply, as the nurse passed me. It was the one from earlier, the nice one. She gave me the baby gently, wrapped in a soft, pink blanket. I stared at her, my heart flying away as I saw my child, but falling again when I saw how small it was.

We had guessed it would be a short pregnancy, with our avian blood, but this was too short.

"I would guess that she is at least a few weeks premature, and I need to take her to the children's ward for care after you let me take her," she said kindly, her eyes warm.

"And you don't mind, the- the wings, and the other babies…?" I stuttered, trying to talk around my own astonishment. The nurse shook her head, turning around. She pulled the back of her shirt up, revealing the wings poking out from underneath the purple cloth.

"I've got my own."

I handed her my baby gently, making sure she had a hold on my baby girl before letting her go. "When can I see Max?" I asked her quietly, holding Angel's and Gazzy's heads close to me.

The nurse nodded. "I know you want to see her, but you will have to wait a while. If you wait in the lobby, I can convince the doctors and get them to let you guys off of the paperwork, but you need to let her come back a little, before I let you in."

She turned to walk away. "Wait! Can you tell me her room number, in- in case of…"

I let my sentence trail off as the nurse smiled and nodded again, walking away with my baby girl.

"What are you going to name her?" Angel asked innocently, tugging at my shirt to get my attention. I had been staring off at the vending machine for a few hours now, and the nurse had stopped by several times to pass Angel and Gazzy money for it.

Gazzy was munching on his granola bar, taking it slowly. Angel had kept the money, collecting it for the past hour or two, to get a stuffed animal from the hospital's gift shop.

She was cuddling the bear, holding it tightly to her body. She stared up at me with her eyes wide and intent on my answer.

"'Cuz I was thinking maybe Joy, or Hope," she said, her voice filled with it as she babbled. "And Max kind of wants to name it something starting with an a. Maybe that's a bit cheesy, but she thinks that your next baby, you could name it something starting with a b, and so on."

Gazzy piped in. "I think R.C. would be awesome. Like Race Car. Or maybe J.C. For…something else…"

"I think we should ask Max when we get to see her," I said, standing up and wiping my sweaty hands off on my pants.

"Where are we going?" Angel asked as she slid off the chair, Gazzy trailing after her.

"To see Max," I told her, holding the two siblings by the hand.

Angel grinned, happy to see Max again. Gazzy frowned, the worry showing on his face.

"She won't be sick, will she?" He asked, his voice small and nervous. He looked up at me with his wide eyes. I squeezed his hand reassuringly and Angel answered for me, when I didn't know what to say.

"Max is okay, Iggy. You don't have to worry," Angel said, answering her older brother's question while looking up at me. She squeezed my hand, switching her gaze back to the hallway.

The little eight-year old read my mind again. "Don't worry. It'll be alright."

She bobbed her head yes silently, still staring ahead. She slipped her hand out of mine and started to run down the corridor.

"Max! Max!" Angel shrieked joyfully, coming to a shuddering halt at the door to Max's room. She turned her head and waved us over with a quick hand, and darted inside.

Gazzy glanced up at me, and I guess he was scared of Max, thinking maybe she had changed, or she wouldn't like us anymore.

I squeezed his hand gently, then let it drop. He raced to the door, running like hell's hounds were on his tail.

I followed him quietly, readying myself to see Max in possibly the worst condition.

Readying myself to be Iggy, the father of our unnamed baby girl.

The father of that perfect baby, and Max's boyfriend.

Their lover, their protector, and most of all, _their's_.

I would not let my child grow up in a School, and I would not let it grow up without either it's mother or it's father.

I wasn't going to let my baby girl grow up like I did.


	8. Chapter 8

I love Max, too. Although, not as much as I love Iggy.

Disclaimer: James Patterson...yada, yada, yada....legal jargon....yada, yada...owns Maximum Ride....

**Chapter Eight**

**Don't Leave Max**

I walked in the doorway, steadying myself on the side of the doorway. I watched as Max grinned weakly, and laughed weakly. She brushed a hand through Angel's blond curls, and glided her hand down Gazzy's face.

And I realized two things had been missing in my dream. One, I already knew the fate of. But Gazzy had not been in it, in any way.

And I had only had one child with Max, not all of them had died, and we hadn't been in that institution.

We were full of chemicals no human body had ever seen before though, and if my dream was any indicator, we had to find meds to counteract all of them.

I pushed these thoughts out of my mind, and focused on being here, with Max. The fathering thing could come later.

"Come on, Iggy. What are you waiting for?" Max asked softly, her voice barely able to tell apart from the drone of the machines next to her. Angel looked up at me with her big blue eyes and I drifted over to them.

Angel and Gazzy made room for me, sliding off the bed to sit together in one of the chairs by the window. Max smiled, trying to get herself up into a sitting position. I helped her, keeping her up with one hand and making sure she didn't fall over with the other one.

Max smiled again, raising her limp arm to wrap around my waist. I wrapped my arm around hers and gently patted her empty stomach.

"Do you feel lighter, now that they're gone?" I asked lightly, smiling at her. Max leaned her head onto my shoulder and picked up my other hand with hers and starter playing with it, stroking it softly and turning it over and over, studying all the lines.

"How-…how many?" Max asked in a half-whisper, looking up at me with nervous eyes. I bit my lip.

"One out of four. A girl," I told her, lifting my hand from her waist to stroke her hair. "But I still have you, and you still have me, and now we have a little baby girl." I kissed the top of her head and she leaned her head back down. I felt a tear drip softly onto my hand and wiped my thumb across her eyes gently.

"What are you going to name her?" Angel jumped in excitedly, leaning on the bed. It tilted down with her weight and my leg sank a few inches. Max smiled, leaning back, away from me. She wiped her eyes and sniffed, then patted her leg. Angel climbed up eagerly into her lap, crawling across me to get there instead of going all the way around.

Gazzy stared at us, clearly wanting to get up on the bed with us, too. I patted my leg softly and he climbed on slowly, keeping his back away from us so he could see me, Max, and Angel.

"I don't know. Maybe we should give her just a temporary name for now, and let her choose her permanent one when she gets older," Max suggested, copying what Jeb had said to her. She smiled briefly at the memory. "Like my dad did to me."

"Then what's her temporary name?" Angel asked, twisting around so she could see Max's face. Max tilted her head and sighed, shaking her head.

"I have no idea."

Gazzy jumped in, suggesting a name he had thought of earlier. "How about Kayla?"

"Kayla's cool," I said, rubbing Max's back softly. She sighed again, leaning into my hand. "Or maybe Jamie, or Mina."

"Mina? Like in that one vampire book we read?" Max asked, and shivered slightly. She cocked her head then. "That sounds pretty good, actually."

"But what about maybe, J.C., or R.C. Something that stands for something?" Max shook her head at Gazzy's suggestion. He pouted. "You only like Iggy's because _he_ said it, don't you?"

Max thought about this a second and then shook her head. "I think it just sounds pretty. If you had said it first, I would still like it."

"What about Joy? Or Hope?" Angel asked, looking at Max. Max shook her head again.

"Too cheesy. What about Anna? Or Rosa? Short for Rosalie?"

Everybody shook their heads this time.

"Why not? They're perfectly fine!" Max said indignantly. "I'd like to see _you_ come up with a better one!"

"Maybe we should wait for her to come, and then we can ask her?" Angel asked, reading my mind. I smiled at her, pulling Gazzy closer to me. He huddled against me, the scared ten-year old, still. I hadn't thought much about how much this place was like the School, or about how much it would freak the rest of the flock out.

I had my mind on more important things, but I could feel Max shaking, and see both Angel and Gazzy's nervousness, their fingers twitching and their shoulders twitching every few seconds, wanting to unfurl their wings, shake them out, and get the heck away from here.

I pulled Max closer and breathed in her scent as she relaxed into my arms, letting out a huge sigh of relief. Her shaking calmed down and she pulled Angel closer to her.

"I think that's a great idea," Max said, closing her eyes. Angel was about to open her mouth again and say something in protest, but I shushed her with a finger, shaking my head gently.

Angel nodded, sliding off the bed to land with a light thump on the floor. Gazzy followed her, and I was sliding gently out from under Max when her hold tightened.

"Iggy…" she muttered in her sleep, and I briefly remembered the desperation in her voice as she told me never to leave her before.

"Don't worry. I'm staying here, Max. Right here," I murmured, sitting back down and pulling her closer. I slipped the blankets up slowly, to cover her better. Max drifted back into sleep.

Her breath was slow, and her grip on me loosened, but I stayed next to her anyway. It was nice, having Max next to me like this.

I drifted off a while after Angel had climbed in, sitting on my lap, close to Max. I stirred as Gazzy climbed up too, sitting on my lap, but closer to the edge. I held him up by my arm, making sure he didn't fall off as he drifted into sleep.

The sun shining through the blinds woke me, and I guessed it was about ten in the morning. Max grinned up at me.

"Have a nice sleep?" She asked, her grin widening as I sat up slowly, pecking her gently and softly on the cheek. She turned her head and kissed me quickly on the mouth, pulling back away tentatively. I smiled softly and kissed her again, this one lasting longer than the first.

I pulled back away again when my ears heard the soft breath of our baby girl, sleeping between us. She was so tiny it looked almost impossible that she would grow up to get a fifteen foot wing span and be as tall as us.

I glanced down at her, her soft pink cheeks glowing up at us. She had a light peach fuzz, streaks of light, light brown showing when the light hit her in the exact angle. She was curled up underneath her blanket, her chubby fingers poking through in the tiniest amount at the top.

I smiled, looking back up at Max's grin. "Here. Hold your daughter," she said softly, leaning away and edging her out gently. Max held her carefully, lifting her up to me like a fragile china plate. I took my baby girl in my hands, holding her close. I tilted my head down, pressing it to her, and I could hear her hyper-fast heartbeat and her breath became louder in my ear. It tickled, blowing softly past my cheek, warm. I grinned and let out a tiny laugh, kissing the top of her head lightly. Max leaned closer, tipping her head onto mine. She sighed, gliding her finger down our baby's cheeks gently, grasping her small fingers.

Angel bounced in, holding Gazzy's hand. Angel broke out in a huge grin, from ear to ear, and laughed with happiness. Our baby stirred, then drifted back to sleep again.

Angel quieted down, pulling Gazzy closer to us. They peeked over the edge of the bed at us, batting their puppy-dog eyes until Max gave in and waved them up with another sigh.

"You know, Miss Jones is going to kill me for letting you guys up here. You remember what she said, right?"

Gazzy nodded. "Yup, and I'm going to ignore it!" He grinned, and watched adoringly as Angel's hand drifted slowly to our baby girl, and she slid her hand over the top of her head with a giggle.

"Her hair tickles," she said, giggling some more. Gazzy cocked his head, interested. He looked at me for approval, and at my nod he gently slid a finger down her cheek, and then from her forehead to the tip of her nose.

Angel laughed and leaned in, kissing the top of her nose. I stared at Max as her face glowed with pure happiness, and she laughed. She bent down to kiss her- our baby's nose again and laughed softly when she woke, huffing air into Max's face.

Max looked up at me with her grin across her face again, leaning up to kiss me lightly again. "Your first kiss from your new daughter," she whispered, laughing. She leaned back, ruffling Gazzy's hair.

I looked down at our baby, smiling as her face automatically twitched up to me and her nose twitched, sniffing the air. Her fingers wiggled and she pulled her lips in, puffing them back out in a pout. Her eyes opened slowly, showing me the soft, light green-blue, cloudy with blindness.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey, people! I am lacking in the comments department! So, do me a favor and push the little purple button! For your own sakes! Or this story will be even more crappy, if that's possible, and I will end up without any readers!

Disclaimer: James Patterson and me are going to end up in court next month from the whole, I Want To Own Maximum Ride thing. oh. I would also like to own Iggy, Angel, Gazzy, and Fang, but I don't think the court will grant custody of that many bird children to a fourteen year old.

I highly doubt it.

**Chapter Nine**

**Just Like You, Iggy**

Max looked up at me nervously, waiting for my reaction. I looked over at her and she mouthed the words _She couldn't be the only perfect one_.

I nodded. _I know. It just_, I paused, reordering my thoughts. _Surprised me_, I mouthed back to her.

Max nodded, smiling as our baby's fingers curled tighter around hers and she opened her mouth, letting out a soft _oh_ of surprise, happiness mixed in, and let out a wail.

The nurse rushed in, her hair frazzled and crazy from staying up all night. I assumed she was the only one that would help us. I smiled gratefully at her as she handed Max a bottle of milk, and I looked at Max questioningly.

"It will help her more than Max's milk," the nurse said, nodding towards me. "It is healthier for her and it will help protect her against many more illnesses."

"How do you know all of this?" I asked, confused.

The nurse drifted over to a chair, looking at me with a brief question in her eyes. I nodded, tilting my head to her slightly. Gazzy and Angel climbed off obediently as the nurse waved them off with a stare.

"I had a child too, my Tony. I was forced by Itex to have a baby, and they figured everything out and helped him grow up healthier. He had a few…defects, though, and he died a few years later. My little baby never got to see his mother or the daylight," she said, her voice fading to a whisper as tears threatened to leak. She wiped her eyes hurriedly, though, and ran a hand roughly over her hair.

"I can read minds, though, like little Angel here," she paused, patting Angel's shoulder lightly. Angel smiled, leaning in for a brief hug. The nurse smiled back at her and Angel laughed. I guessed that they were communicating, the mind way. "My powers were much more developed, and I can read anyone's mind, without even the strongest mind knowing I was in their head."

I nodded slowly, taking it all in. "So you can teach me how to do that now, right Miss Jones?" Angel asked hopefully, looking up at her.

Miss Jones nodded, and Angel pulled herself up into the seat next to her.

Max looked up at me, away from feeding our baby girl. "Now's the time to figure out a name for her," she said, smiling.

I sighed, taking the bottle from Max's hands so she wasn't holding it as awkwardly. "Okay fine, but let's wait till-" Max cut me off.

"Yeah, hold this. She's going to-" Max was interrupted as our daughter sputtered, the bottle falling from her lips. Baby puke sprayed me, thankfully my mouth had been closed.

Angel laughed, her laughter high and tinkling, like chimes. Gazzy grinned, holding back his laughter. It flew out of his mouth a second later, though, and then he was doubled over in laughter, slapping his legs.

I looked at them scornfully, and took the wet towel Max handed me. She smiled lightly, picking up a corner of it and wiping my face gently.

"And _that_ my dear Iggy, was your daughter's first puke on you!"

I frowned at her, laughter tickling the corners of my mouth. I picked up the rest of the towel and brushed it over my face, concealing the grin on my lips and stifling the laughter. Max laughed, running a hand through my hair and taking our baby girl.

"Don't worry. It happens halfway through every bottle," Angel said wisely. I looked at her, astonished.

"And that's not cause for worry?!"

Max laughed, holding the bottle to our baby's mouth again. She sucked it dry, the last drops of milk disappearing down her throat.

Max grinned as she looked up at me, moving her hand back in my direction. I leaned away as she opened her mouth again, fearing that she was going to puke up the rest of her bottle.

I sighed in relief, relaxing as she let out only a light burp, and then reached for me. I pulled her closer, kissing her lightly on the nose. She laughed, her voice light. Miss Jones's head snapped up in what seemed like sudden alarm.

"What?!" Max asked, instantly panicking. The first thought in my head was of danger, the second to worry about our baby.

"I heard her thought. I think I did," she said, half to herself. "Kiss her on the nose again," she ordered. I kissed her lightly again and I could barely hold back a smile as she laughed again, this time louder. Her hands groped and found my nose, sliding smoothly down it.

"Did you hear it, too Angel?" Miss Jones asked, switching her gaze over to Angel. Angel nodded, happy.

"She was happy," Angel said simply, smiling. Miss Jones looked back at us, and Gazzy started to talk for the first time since he had come in.

"Why is that so bad?" He asked nervously, looking at Miss Jones. She shook her head.

"Not bad. Just… _weird_," She said, emphasis on the weird. Max's eyes were intent on her and I could faintly hear her heartbeat quickening with fear.

"Is that okay?"

Miss Jones tilted her head. "Normally, it's at least a few weeks before I can hear their thoughts," she said, looking over at Angel. "Guess you've got a pretty smart girl there," she said, finishing the sentence lightly with a shrug.

I stared at Max. She knew about my faerie blood; had it passed down to our baby, too? Max's eyes bored into me, searching for answers. I shook my head in the smallest way possible, to not let the others see. Miss Jones was staring at me oddly.

Max stared at her, protective of me. Her smile turned into a menacing frown and Miss Jones put her hands up in the air to let Max know that she meant no danger. Max nodded her head and turned her attention back to our little girl.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I am losing. I now owe James Patterson about thirty thousand for trying to steal Maximum Ride from him. Darn it.

**Chapter Ten**

**Naming Her**

"Okay, so how are we going to do this?" Max asked, looking up at me. I shrugged.

"I don't know. How will we know she likes the name, not just the sound of our voices?"

Angel volunteered. "Hey! I can tell you. Whenever she feels really, really happy when you say a name, I'll tell you what she thinks."

Miss Jones held herself up a little straighter and stared at our baby girl. Max gave her another look, and she instantly switched her gaze away to look out the window.

She was focusing on the window, and we started to reel off names.

"Gazzy, you first," Max said, a smile in her voice. Gazzy jumped up to the bedside and put his head down by her ear.

"Hey, you. How would you like Anna?" He asked, staring intently at her. Angel shook her head with every name he offered. "Jamie? Kayla? R.C.? Ummm… Cassie?"

Angel smirked. "She _really_ didn't like that last one," she commented dryly. I grinned and Max ruffled Gazzy's hair, kissing the top of his head fondly.

"That's alright. Maybe she'll pick one of those later, when she gets bigger and knows _exactly_ what she wants her name to be," she said, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

Gazzy sighed and nodded, kneeling down on the floor so he could stroke our currently still unnamed baby girl's hair. She giggled, her hands finding Gazzy's. He grinned when she squeezed his hand, holding hers.

"Okay, so, Angel. You want me to ask her your names? Or mine first?" Max asked Angel, looking away from our girl briefly for Angel's nod.

"Mine, first."

Max nodded and kissed our baby's cheek.

"Joy?" She asked every name and waited a few seconds for Angel's yea or nay. She shook nay to most of them, her smile falling to a slight frown. "Hope? Rosa? Rosalie? Jessica? Andrea? Suzie? Lacie?"

She rattled off name after name, all no's. Max's face fell. "Why doesn't she like any of my names?"

Max looked up at me desperately. "Mmm. I don't know," I murmured, stroking her back. She leaned into me, sighing in exasperation. "Then what _does_ she like?"

A small smile drifted across my face and I bent to my daughter's ear and stroked my finger down from her forehead to her nose, making her shiver.

"Mina," I whispered quietly into her ear.

She shrieked and laughed, clapping her hands somewhat clumsily together. Her dull blue eyes searched for me, and my heart fell for a moment before I thought about how happy we were just to have a daughter in the first place.

Angel grinned and laughed. "I guess she likes that one, after all!"

Gazzy smiled, stroking her soft fuzz again. A peaceful and happy smile drifted across Max's face and she leaned closer.

"Mina," she whispered, a note of relief in her voice as she broke out into a full grin. I wrapped an arm lovingly around Max as she smiled and laughed, her eyes shining even more. I could tell she was close to tears.

"Don't cry, Max," Angel ordered her from the chair, staring at her like a drill sergeant.

Max's watery smile poked up from where her head was pressed into my shoulder. "No. I'm crying because I'm _happy_, Angel. Happier than I've ever been before!"

I wiped Max's tears away semi-roughly, difficult in my position of holding Mina. Angel started muttering to herself.

Miss Jones stared at us awkwardly and suspiciously, her eyes both far-away and concentrated on us at the same time. She stood stiffly and walked out of the room, brushing her hand over Angel's hair gently. Angel instantly sprang to alert, standing and following Miss Jones out of the room.

I suddenly felt a need to get out of here. Get out of this depressing place, with it's shining floors and nose-stinging disinfectant scent. Max looked up at me, watching me watch them leave. She laid her hand gently on mine and I turned to look at her.

"I love you Iggy," she whispered, giving me a light kiss. "Thank you."

I stared at her, bewildered, ignoring Gazzy's cries of 'Oh, gross! Don't do that in front of the baby!'

Max leaned into me, laying her back half across my chest. I scooted over awkwardly, until Max was on my lap. She held Mina carefully, cradling her softly over her arms. She kissed Mina's hand gently, letting it fall back down. Mina pulled her hands back under the blanket and let out a light, baby-sigh of contentment and relief, and settles back down into sleep. Gazzy strokes her one last time before settling back into his seat.

Max pulled the blankets around herself tighter, and I glanced at Gazzy. His eyes were starting to droop and his body was going slack; it looked like he was about to fall out of his chair at any second.

"Gazzy," Max hissed through her teeth, trying to wake Gazzy but not disturb Mina. Gazzy's eyes opened sharply and he was instantly at attention. She lifted the sheets next to her and patted the space by me.

Gazzy smiled a drowsy smile and climbed in with us. He sat next to me, huddling close for warmth in the unheated room. I wrapped my other arm around him, drawing him close.

He soon fell asleep, his hand still on Mina's head. I smile with the knowledge that _everything_ is right again, and nothing could change what we have.

Max's breath slowed, Mina's breath came almost just as fast. Her eyes opened slightly and stared at me, almost like she could see me. She opened her mouth and closed it again. Max stirred, sensing something.

_Mother instincts, kicking in_, I thought, as she stroked Mina and slipped her knuckle to her mouth. Mina smiled, falling back to sleep as she sucked on Max's hand like a binky.

Max twisted her head to the side and glanced at me. Her mouth curved up in a smile.

"Thank you, for not leaving me," she whispered, kissing me lightly as best as she could from her odd angle. "And for giving me Mina."

I smiled, twisting slightly to kiss Max. "It was the least I could do," I murmured, my voice low. "Now, go back to sleep," I told her.

Max's smile drifted away, not as big now. Her eyes became serious. "I love you," she said. I stared at her. Her eyes were just as serious as a moment ago, no sign of a joke in there.

I looked at her curiously. "You say that like you haven't been telling me that fifty times every day," I teased her gently. Her eyes softened and she let a half-smile show.

"I didn't mean it," Max said, and I stared at her, astonished. She shook her head when I opened my mouth to talk, shushing me quickly with a finger. "I mean, I didn't _mean_ it, mean it. You know, like how girls have like, and they have _like_ like?"

I nodded my head, getting it bit by bit. "So, you loved me, but in a brotherly way?" I asked, starting to doubt myself and everything we had said to each other.

Max shook her head furiously. "No!" She whispered loudly. "I just mean, we were _both_ under a lot of pressure before, and sometimes, after that pressure and the danger is gone, the feelings are gone too," she said, staring in my eyes. I could practically _feel_ her willing me to understand.

I nodded. "So you mean that you still love me, even after the pressure is gone?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Max nodded again. I pulled her chin closer to me. "That's so…"

"Complicated?" Max guessed. I tilted my head.

"Nyeh," I said, neither a no or a yes. It was more like halfway. "Beautiful," I finished, kissing her.

Max turned slightly, wrapping an arm around my waist. She pulled away and tilted her head onto my chest and sighed with relief and happiness.

"I love you, Max," I whispered, holding the side of her head, pressing it close to me and releasing her as she slid out from under my arm, turning around again.

I wrapped both of my arms around Max, holding her pressed close to me, not willing to let her go again. Max sighed again and relaxed, holding Mina carefully. I extended an arm and slid a finger down my daughter's face, feeling even more relieved.

The doubt that had wound me up when Max said _I love you_, like for the first time, was gone, disappeared. It had been swept away by my reassurance that Max was still here, that she still loved me, and that we both knew that we were both incredibly happy right now, that perfect happiness that would help us climb mountains later.'

I sighed, hugging Gazzy's sleeping form close to me, and settled into a deep sleep, the deepest in months.


	11. Chapter 11

Wow. I am really starting to hate Miss Jones. And I invented her! How is that possible?! I should kill her off...

Disclaimer: I am happy to say that James Patterson invented Maximum Ride and that I have given up trying to steal her and company from him.

**Chapter Eleven**

**I Don't Like Her**

Max (0.0)

Mina's light cry woke me. Miss Jones, the nurse, was waiting nearby with bottles of milk. I fed her, wiping up the mess afterward and cleaning her face off. Iggy slept through all of it, and I didn't feel like waking him if he was sleeping so well.

Gazzy had slipped out of bed earlier, waking me. I had been watching over Mina ever since. He was out exploring with Angel, who had returned in the middle of the night with Miss Jones.

I narrowed my eyes at her as she sat in the seat opposite me lightly. She crossed her legs primly and stared right back at me.

I didn't like her. Not. One. Bit.

But, she was the only one willing to help. The doctors and nurses that had seen my wings and the de- other babies' wings had told all of the nurses, including about my little, perfect Mina.

The only not seriously defected, and blind anyway. I loved her, though. She might not ever be able to see me, or Iggy, or her auntie and uncles, but I still loved her. She would grow up big and strong, and tough as nails, as tough as I used to be.

Before…

The Breakdown.

That's what I called it, none too fondly, in my mind, whenever I thought back to the time when I sat on the stairs in Fi's house, and bled my heart out. Iggy had helped, making it a good time, too, when I realized how much he loved me, but it had still been horrible.

Now, looking back, that was nothing compared to what we were going to through in the later years.

Raising Mina. We would most likely do horribly, having never had parents of our own to take care of us, besides those damned whitecoats.

At least we wouldn't lock any of our children in dog cages and run tests on them.

That, at least, I could promise Mina, and possibly her future brothers or sisters, if Iggy ever wanted more. I knew I was happy just as we were.

Happiness can come in large packages, though, and those huge Christmas gifts break down over time, like a favorite pair of socks, and pretty soon, if nothing was going right, there would be no more happiness.

I thought, though, deep down, that happiness can come in small, teeny tiny packages, too. Like Mina.

I stared into her clouded eyes and felt nothing but pure, unbridled love burst forth, like whenever I looked at Iggy. It felt healing, like the pink-red glow of it sank into my wrists and my mind, erasing it in tiny increments, until soon, nothing would be there at all.

Just a dim memory, far away in the distance, and nothing to worry about anymore.

I stared into my little daughter's eyes and made a silent promise to her.

_I will never, ever_, I thought hard, and saw her focus on me, her whole body becoming still as she appeared to listen. _Mistreat you, or hit you, even though I will be mad sometimes, and never give you anything but love._

A smile drifted across her face.

_And I promise to always provide for you whatever you need, within reasonable limits_, I added, thinking about what I had wished desperately for when I was little.

Mina's eyes brightened slightly, as if she could barely see me for a second.

_And to always love you, for ever and ever, and ever_.

As I finished off, Mina's eyes cleared off for a second, and I could see my reflection in her eyes for the briefest second, and then, before it could entirely register, it was gone again.

Mina was smiling weakly, and she tightened her hold on my finger. Her breath slowed to and her heartbeat slowed to a quiet thrum. I was shocked for too many moments to count before I twisted around to see Iggy.

The walls twisted around my eyes and Iggy's hands tightened on me protectively and desperately, fully awake now. His heartbeat quickened; I could feel his heart beating strongly against my back. He inhaled sharply, and tightened his hold on me even more.

I held Mina closer to me, the mother in me screaming that her baby had to be protected, at all costs.

Iggy stared around with wide eyes until the distortions settled down.

We were on a huge beach, one perfect, with jungle and soft sand, and the waves crashing.

The sand stretched out before us, and miles in each direction. The waves a half-mile before us whispered to us softly.

"Are you okay?!" Iggy asked, panicked. I realized I was sagging slightly in his arms and straightened, turning my head so I could see him. I nodded slightly, placing an arm on his reassuringly. His voice was still alarmed. "And Mina?!"

I turned around in her arms, strangely calm. He peeked down and saw Mina, dead asleep in my arms, and calmed down only minimally.

"Angel? And Gazzy!" Iggy ran a hand through his hair in an agitated way, ruffling his hair.

I nodded, pressing a hand to his chest.

"Back. Home," the answer to his worried question floated out of my mouth, before even I knew the answer.

My voice was strange, flat, and dull to my ears. I could feel all of my senses quieting down and my mind emptying. It felt comforting, in an odd way.

Iggy nodded, still staring at me strangely. His eyes were both huge question marks as he stared at my face.

His eyes slowly lowered to my hand on his chest, pushing him lightly.

"Max?" He asked slowly, trying to get through to me.

"Yes. It is Max." I answered, my voice still flat. I push him harder, but cannot feel it in my hand. It's like every bone and muscle in my body is going numb, fighting itself.

Max against the intruder.

The intruder wins, pushing Iggy farther back.

The ocean's roar is getting closer.

It's not whispering to anyone, I realize dimly, far down in my mind.

It's crying for blood.

And Iggy is the closest one to it.

I can feel it, drawing me like the magnet a knife is, my fingers itching to pick it up and slice that raw skin again, push another part of me deep down, shove it as far away as possible, and kill it.

This time, the part of me I'm shoving away is Iggy.

Max fights again, and Iggy's cries are dimly heard. Mina is still not awake, and the intruder is still winning.

Suddenly, Mina's cries break through the foggy depressing-ness pressing down on Max, shredding holes in it.

Iggy's gasp is heard, and the sizzle of the boiling water reaches Max's far-away ears.

Max is still losing.

I am taking her over, shoving everything she loves as far away as possible, taking over what she is thinking, what she can do, and herself, most of all.

I can feel the hot rush of pleasure enter my veins as my jealousy is shoved onto her, pushing down with all its weight.

Rage, anger, jealousy, every negative emotion imaginable; I can feel it coursing through me, feeding me insane happiness.

I feel...

satisfied.

More so than ever before.


	12. Chapter 12

Okay people. I really do need comments on what you think about the story, plot, everything that I can improve on. So, flame as much as you want, because that's fine with me.

Good comments are better, though, and help me win the disclaimer case.

Disclaimer: James Patterson: 12

xxxAbbeyDawn: 0

(In case you don't get it, J.P. Still owns Maximum Ride and the story concepts. I hope you got it.)

**Chapter Twelve**

**Breaking Max**

I pushed her. Farther and farther, I pushed at her limits.

I could feel her barriers, her defenses, breaking down under my hands.

I could feel her breaking.

I momentarily saw through her eyes, and saw Iggy's terrified face and his hands up in the air, could barely hear his voice crying out for Max to stop.

I grinned, laughing evilly. I was sorry that I had to do this to Iggy, he was so sweet, but Max was my priority.

I could hear her cry, just as Iggy disappeared from my view again. My sight clouded over and my ears closed up.

One sound broke through, as I shoved Iggy farther into Max's mind, pushing him deeper and deeper, closer and closer to the point that, one step in the water, and he would cease to exist.

The sound was the baby crying.

I didn't want to kill her.

I didn't want to get rid of her, make her disappear along with Iggy and Max.

Max had to go, and so did Iggy, for me to get Mina.

Simple as that. I had to get rid of the two of them, but it was nearly impossible to save Mina, too.

Unless...

I was willing to try something I hadn't tried before, after my first failure. I wasn't just going to control Max's actions, I was going to control _Max_.

I pushed deeper into her mind, wearing her down. She gave out with a cry of pain.

"Give me. Mina," I heard Max's voice, suddenly stopping the tears and screams of torture. We were getting nearer to the boiling water, the vanishing point.

I could see now that the sun, from far away, had tinted the water blue. Now it was a sickly yellow, and the stench of sulfur rose up from it.

"What?! Why!? Max! Stop it!" Iggy's yells broke through, and Mina's baby tears ripped through even more. They thundered in my ears.

"Hand her over." I commanded calmly, raising Max's other arm for her. Iggy slowly raised his arms to pass her off, nervously.

Suddenly, his face grew a scowl, and in a moment's space, he had Max pinned to the chunky sand, not a foot away from the yellow sea.

"Max," he growled. "Stop this! Stop it now!" his face softened slightly and his hold on me relaxed for a second before strengthening again. "You're scaring me."

I tilted Max's head up to keep it from frying in the heat of the strange water. Even so, the back of my head felt burnt when the waters receded; it had blistered the back of Max's head.

Everything inside Max was sluggish, out of beat, and I calculated that there was almost a minute and a half to finish this off. I stared up at him, willing Max's eyes to melt.

"Iggy..." I whispered through her mouth. His eyes softened again and his hold relaxed. He held Mina to the side, putting the other hand around the back of Max's head to help her up.

I hissed in pain as his fingers brushed the back of Max's head and flipped us over, plucking Mina out of his hands.

Her cries suddenly stopped and Iggy's eyes flashed to a stop on her, he stopped trying to shove me off of him. Iggy's whole body went slack as he stared at her.

_What?_ I thought, and looked over at Mina, held carefully in my hand. Her eyes were open, clear and unclouded. I felt a deep shudder go through Max and her eyes flew open wider, her pupils dilating.

I shoved forward, trying to keep my hold on them, keep them in Max's head. The waves were just getting nearer, the stench of the yellow water almost overpowering me.

"Mama," Mina's voice said, clear, but quiet. Her mouth worked hard to form the words. "Mama...come back..."

I was blown out by the force of Max's cry.

"MINAAAA!!!!!"

I feel all the bones in my body snapping as I am thrown back, back into my own body.

I gasp from the sensation of being back in my own skin again. I stare up from my chair with wild eyes, at Angel standing next to me. The fierce glare in her eyes tells the story.

"You hurt Max," she accuses. "Now _you_ get hurt."

Angel slowly raises a hand to my forehead, oblivious to Max behind her, crying her eyes out with Iggy trying to comfort her from the very nasty dream they both had. Mina's scared screams echo theirs.

I resign myself to death at the hands of an eight-year old, with much more power than I will ever have. She presses down and a searing pain rips through my head, traveling down my spine and rebounding from my toes up to my head again, and up through Angel's arm.

She grits her teeth against the torture I'm throwing right back at her, while I gasp and feel my throat choking up.

Angel's face is covered by a horrified, yet satisfied, smile, as her icy blue eyes stare at me and her hand falls.

_No worries_, I tell myself. _There are..._other _ways to come back_.

It's true, too. I can think of eight-hundred and ninety one.

I'm going to use every one of them.

(0.0) Angel (0.0)

I let my hand fall from Miss Jones's forehead. Even in death her face is half wild, half sorry. But I can see it in her eyes.

_Revenge_.

It's the only thing she wants right now, and my glimpse of the inside of her skull tells me it's something she's well prepared for.

I stood there a second, thinking about what to do now. The wards she knew, every single one-thousand, four hundred and eighty-two of them were imprinted on my head.

The second you first see them, you never forget them and their purpose.

When I figured out how to use them, I would then be classified as a wych. Not the broomstick kind. The ward-drawing, weapon-crafting, spell-casting kind.

I shivered with disgust. _That's a lot to pile up on a ten-year old, isn't it,_ I thought quietly to myself. Max's voice called out impatiently behind me.

"Angel! Angel! Where's Gazzy?" I turned around, my eyes wide.

"I...don't....know..." I said, my voice hoarse and scared. Max's brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Angel? What's wrong?" I stepped to the side slowly, watching Max's reaction. Her eyes went wide and I whirled out of the room before I could hear her scream.

"Angel! Wait!" Iggy yelled behind me, racing out to catch me before I went thirty feet.

"Why are you running?!" He asked, his voice loud in my ear. I flinched away from his bruising hold on my upper arms.

"Because...I did that to her," I whispered back to Iggy.

"What?" His voice came, confused. "What'd you do? To who?"

"Miss Jones is dead." My voice was blank, flat as I announced her death. Iggy's grip went slack and I took my chance, running away from him.

I glanced back just before I hit the door to the roof, seeing his confused and shocked expression.

The door slammed open behind my shoulder as I shoved it, racing up the stairs. No one stopped me, as commanded by my mind, even though I half-wished someone would.

I came out on the roof, bursting into the dim moonlight. As I came closer the edge the light brightened, until I could see the full moon, threatening to vanish.

My feet came to a shuddering halt on the edge, stepping up onto the raised bit of concrete on the very end. A light breeze ruffled my hair, blowing it out of my face.

I unfurled my wings, my heart raising at the sensation of the wind rushing through the feathers again.

I've been coming up here, every time they forget about me. Every time, Gazzy runs around the hospital, pretending to be a clown and cheering people up with his impressions. Every time, I jump on the edge of the roof and watch the traffic underneath me, watch people live their lives.

And I wish desperately that I was one of them; didn't have these incredible powers and this incredible pressure on my shoulders.

I wish, too, that I never had the light weight in the middle of my back, twitching with the breeze.


	13. Chapter 13

Hey everybody. Everyone who bothers to read this. I am fourteen, and my...writing tactics...still need to be improved on. Tell me what I can do, and I'll do it, to make this story better and for more people to like it.

Disclaimer: I'm not even sure I should stick this thing in here anymore, since I keep getting so riled up about the fact that James Patterson owns Maximum Ride and Co. I also highly doubt that anyone reads these, because I don't.

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Angel's Choice**

Without my wings, I would be normal.

Without my wings, I wouldn't have my two percent avian DNA.

I wouldn't have the power of mind control, and my psychic weapons.

We could have been a normal family; Max, my older sister-slash-caretaker, Iggy, her crazy boyfriend of almost childhood, Gazzy, my big brother, Fang, Iggy's best friend and our almost-cousin.

Fi probably wouldn't fit in the picture, I thought, because we would never have met her.

We wouldn't have had to run away from the School, the Institution, the whitecoats, the Erasers, everything bad in our lives up until now.

And now?

Now, I wasn't so sure that I fit in the picture, either.

Maybe it was time for me to leave, stop attracting all of this bad luck.

Miss Jones wouldn't have almost killed Max, almost killed Iggy, and almost taken Mina.

She wouldn't have done it all, to start a family with her new, imaginary daughters, me and Mina.

She had had this huge scheme, one full of us running away and having a life together.

I had seen it in her mind.

But it would happen again, and the only way to protect them was to leave them.

I turned around, determined. I furled my wings up, carefully shaking them to keep the feathers aligned. I sent my mind out to search for Gazzy in the hospital.

(0.0) Iggy (0.0)

I was still shocked, my shock tinged with sadness as Angel hugged me and Max. SHe hugged us tightly, and didn't say anything about what I knew she was about to do, to either Max or me.

Max just smiled, stringing her fingers through Angel's hair, and letting her hand stay almost too long on her, loving every minute of it.

Every last minute she was about to get left.

Gazzy was going with her. He had already said good-bye and was waiting impatiently at the edge of the roof, his wings flung out and open. Angel stood taller to kiss Mina's forehead and sneakily, she drew a string of symbols on Mina, ones on her legs, arms, chest, and head.

She talked with Max the whole time, distracting her from what she was doing. I saw her drawing them with her other hand on her thigh, tracing them lightly. Angel let out a quiet hiss and clapped her hand to her thigh, and her face relaxed as her hand relaxed.

Max didn't notice, and left her to it. Tears were falling out of her eyes.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Max asked, crouching down to look straight into Angel's eyes. She pressed a hand to her arm and stared at her. Angel nodded.

"Yes. Absolutely," she said, her voice strong, not quavering an inch, like Max's was. Max took a deep breath, held it, and let it out in another sigh. She clapped Angel's shoulder and pulled her into another hug.

Angel's hand briefly touched Max's head, glowing a second and disappearing again.

Max didn't notice this one, either, but I knelt and whispered into Angel's ear before she could race away.

"I know what you did," I whispered, keeping my voice low. _I know. I'm glad_, I heard Angel's voice as a thought in my head as she nodded. "Thank you," I said, gratefully.

The signs...they had been something I saw in my sister's house, and in that strange book that had given me my sight back.

Angel pressed a hand to my chest, a few inches above my heart. I felt a sharp sting and a moment later, it was gone. Her soulful eyes stared up at me, tearing up.

I brushed my hand down her face softly, staring right back into her eyes. "Promise you'll talk to Max, sometimes, at least?" I asked her.

Angel nodded solemnly. "I have to go, now," she said, her voice hoarse. She angrily swiped at the tears. "I promise. I promise, forever and ever."

I nodded, pulling her into a rough hug. She flung her arms around my neck and squeezed tight, tears falling onto my neck.

I pulled away from her after a minute or so. "Bye, Angel," I said, stepping back. She nodded again and took a few steps back.

Angel unfurled her white wings with a sharp _snap_ and ran forward a few feet, leaping into the air and flying up to join her older brother.

Max walked up beside me, wrapping her arm around my waist. We waved sadly as they flew out of sight, and Max sighed heavily, letting her head fall on my chest.

"She's too young," Max muttered, her voice small and unsure. "I have to wonder what's going to happen to us."

She tilted her head back and looked at me, wanting something in reply.

"Whatever does, I'm sure it'll be _us_," I said, "_Us _meaning all three of us."

A quiet smile drifted over her face. "I'm sure it will," she replied, leaning her head back on my chest. I rubbed her arm roughly with one hand and brushed her hair back out of her face, holding it to the side so it wouldn't fly back in her eyes.

"You ready to get out of here?" I asked Max, staring up again into the sky. She looked at me uncertainly.

"Where? We don't have any plans."

"Anywhere but here, as long as it's me, and you," I told her, half smiling. She grinned, giving me a quick peck on the cheek.

"Alright. Let's go," Max said, enthusiastic. She paused, glanced down at Mina. "Um… how are we going to…"

I smiled, pulling Max into a hug. I leaned away from her, pulling a blanket off from around Mina. She was sleeping quietly, and never noticed the slight movement. I tied it around Max like a sling, tying it tightly around Mina.

"Will this work?" I asked, looking down at the two of them. Max tilted her head, smiling.

"Yes. I guess it will," she said, kissing me lightly. She pulled back and jumped into the air, spreading her wings to catch her and pull her up from the fall. I stared after her a moment, defying gravity, before jumping into the air after her. I met her high in the sky and touched her hand.

Mina's cloudy eyes slowly opened, and she turned her head to the wind, falling back into a light sleep, hundreds of miles above the city.

We make camp, setting up a small fire in the end-of-summer night, and sitting next to a tree. Max will be sleeping down on the ground tonight, taking no chances with Mina. I held her in my lap, playing with her.

I was startled by the fact that, even though her eyes were clouded over and blind, it was like she was a totally normal person. She reached out, touching things and feeling them for the first time, exploring.

I glanced up at hearing Max's laughter. She grinned at me, covering her mouth with her hand. I looked at her with confusion in my eyes, pulling Mina back to my lap as she slid off reaching for the tree bark again.

"S-sorry," Max laughed, trying to stifle it. She took a deep breath and tried to stop it, bursting out in a fresh fit. I smiled, thinking about how adorable she was like this, and how happy I was that she was happy, now. I could still remember, you know.

Max calmed down enough to speak. "It's just, you were _exactly_ like that before, you know? We just had to tell you the bare basics and you'd follow it, improvising. You never hit anything!"

"Not true," I corrected, pulling Mina back into my lap again. She sat with a plop, a handful of moss in her hand. "Do you remember that time, when we were running away from those Erasers, and I slammed into that tree?"

Max laughed again. "Yeah. You snapped the top right off!"

"And since we're bust talking about my crashes here, let's mention a few of _yours_." I pried Mina's jaw open, tugging the moss out. She let it go reluctantly, reaching her hands out for it again.

"There's that time when you forgot to keep your wings out and feel into that lake," I said, teasing her. Max's face went red and she covered it with her hand, trying to cover the blush.

"That was only because the Erasers scared us so bad," she complained. Mina finally settled into my lap, fisting her hands in my shirt and falling into a light sleep.

"And let's not forget the time that you hit Fang and fell into that tree," I reminded Max. Her blush grew even redder. "And on the way down, you hit all of the branches and twisted them?"

Max nodded, hanging her head. "And the squirrel fell, hitting me in the head," she said, humiliated.

I laughed. Max's head came back up, a small smile spreading across her face. The blush faded.

"I think we all forgot to tell you this, because it was so funny, but it was me that dropped the squirrel on you," I said, looking at her. Her eyes went wide and she slapped my arm.

"You jerk! I had scratches all over from that thing!" Max broke down laughing again. "I have to admit, that _was_ funny, though."

I laughed, pulling Max back to sit closer to me. I wrapped my arm around her waist and she stared down at Mina.

After a few long moments she opened her mouth and talked in a stunned whisper.

"Am I the only one noticing that Mina's growing, faster than any human, or part bird child could?"

I stared down at Mina, who was already about the size of a two-year old. I sighed, knowing I would have to tell her the truth.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Obviously, I do not own Maximum Ride and other associated characters, but I do own Mina and Fi. Don't steal. James Patterson, my mortal (or immortal. depends on how you look at it.) enemy, owns Max. I hate him with a vengeance. But also love him for creating the Flock.

Love you, J. Pat.

That was not supposed to sound fan girl-y, so ignore it.

**Chapter Fourteen**

**WOW...**

"She's part werewolf." I stated, staring at Max. She nodded carefully, gauging me like I was a crazy person, and she was guessing at what degree of crazy I was.

"And how, exactly do you come to this conclusion?"

I ran a hand through my hair uncomfortably. "Well, um. I'm faerie, you know, right?" Max nodded slowly. "Well. My sister is half faerie, which makes me half faerie too, right?" Max nodded again, her face adopting a confused expression. She still had no idea what a bomb I was dropping on her.

"And if I'm half faerie, and you're zero percent faerie, then Mina's a quarter faerie."

"Where is this going?" Max asked suspiciously. "Does this mean she has super-growth skills or something?"

I shook my head. "I'm barely a faerie at all," I whispered, Max's eyes going wide again. Her breath came shorter and shorter. "And in some, true, faerie tales, quarter faeries are…" I let the sentence trail off as Max shrugged away from my arm, turning sideways to stare at me.

"She's a werewolf?!" Max asked, astonished. "My daughter's a werewolf!"

I nodded slowly, reaching over for Max's hand. She flinched away.

"You did this to her! She's going to be, what, seven years old, and dying of old age! Why, Iggy? Why did you do this!?"

I stared at Max's eyes, which were starting to tear up. "I- Max-" She cut me off, snatching Mina out of my hands.

"NO! No excuses! You made our daughter a werewolf! There _are_ no excuses!" I watched after her helplessly as she sprang to her feet, her wings flying out. She stared down at me angrily, a mother's fierce instinct to protect her child showing through.

Mina let out a cry as Max sprang up into the air. My hands were up in the air, reaching out to them, wishing Max would turn around, come back, before leaving me all alone.

Max's figure faded into the dark blue night, though, and by morning, I was still at the foot of the tree, waiting for her.

If I left, and Max decided to come back to me, they would never find me. If I never left, and she never chose to come back, I would be left here for ever, waiting for someone that barely existed to me anymore to return.

I climbed the tree slowly, thinking about my werewolf daughter. This was either going to turn into one huge disaster, or just...a huge mess.

Mina being a werewolf, that didn't do much to her. I mean, yes, she would grow at an alarmingly fast rate, but at around twelve, she would slow down, and grow at a normal pace. She would be able to turn into a wolf at will, but that didn't change anything.

She would still be our little girl. Our little...werewolf girl.

I thought about this whole problem while I climbed, the branches getting shorter and thinner.

Max and the rest of the flock are hybrids, so what exactly is the problem with us having a werewolf for a child? She was, and had always been, Mina. She hadn't taken a chunk out of anyone yet.

Yet.

But, I still loved her, and I knew that Max would, too.

I was just confused about why she hated me now. She just picked up and ran away, taking Mina with her, and now I was stuck here all alone.

I came to the top of the tree and balanced carefully on the tip, feeling off balance as it sagged under my weight. I stared out at the setting sun.

My heart ached. I hadn't seen Max for over twenty-four hours now, and it was getting to me. I was really starting to miss waking up in the morning, turning my head, and seeing Max, peacefully asleep beside me.

I missed talking to her. I missed hearing her voice. I missed seeing her, a blessing now, that had come from her. I missed kissing her. I missed feeling her love when she hugged me.

I missed Max.

I tried to distract myself from the thought that I would never see her again. An old problem popped up again in my mind.

My dream. Was it a possible future for us, even a half-future? Would some of those things really happen?

I started comparing the dream to what had actually happened.

Gazzy was alive and well, he had been totally missing in the dream. Nudge was gone now, she had been gone then.

I twitched as the shock and pain at losing a flock member hit me again. I couldn't imagine going off, totally and completely alone, without at least one flock member. I would prefer Max, overall, but I would be just as grateful for anyone else.

The flock had disintegrated. We were now scattered all over the place, like a flock of pigeons that a band of little kids had run through, splitting us up into different teams.

Just like we were a flock that had been scattered, something told me that we would fall back into place, together again.

I went back to comparing the dream, forgetting all thoughts of us and our flock-ness.

Not all of the children had died. One out of four had lived; our little Mina. I was _hoping_ Max didn't get pregnant again, and I would do everything I could to prevent it. Unless, Max desperately wanted one and I couldn't resist.

That's what protection's for.

But, anyway. We had lived in a house. How in the world would that happen? We were taking pill upon pill upon pill, a whole cabinet full. The kids had been normal; that was weird.

All of our kids would at least have a twenty-five percent chance of being a werewolf, and there was nothing we could do to help it. That was just how faerie blood worked on you.

I should have told Max though, prepared her for what was going to happen. I hadn't even remembered until a little while after she was born, when I saw how fast she was growing. Max had been too caught up in being a mother than to notice the changes that were taking place.

I just had to hope that they would come back.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer:....I hate James Patterson. I am also very tired of writing the whole frickin' huge name, and from now on will call him J Pat. Awesomeness. He owns Max Ride, though, and I have to wonder, how the hell did Max come up with that name? She was a girl, you'd think she'd call herself Ashley, or something else like that....

**Chapter Fifteen**

(0.0) Angel (0.0)

I stared mindlessly, guilt and shame overcoming me. Gazzy was farther away, off to my right, making camp in an old cave.

The cliff's sheer face dropped before me, a pit at the bottom. Pure darkness was all you could see in the setting sun.

If I reached down, my hand started to disappear, and if I dangled my legs over the edge, my feet disappeared altogether, This was an amazing place.

I stared out until I grew chilly, and wrapped my arms around me to keep out the cold. It didn't work, though, and soon I was shivering.

Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around me, rubbing my shoulders. Gazzy's voice was close to my ear.

"I've got a fire ready," he said, turning me around to give me a tight hug. "Head on into the cave; it's warmer in there."

I nodded slowly, hugging him back. "Thanks, Gazzy."

I dove off the cliff, unfurling my wings about eighty feet below the cave entrance. I surged up, stroking my wings as far up and down as I could.

I could barely make out the entrance, from the warm glow of firelight. Gazzy had been smart, putting the fire farther back to keep us farther away from the cold.

I sat by the fire, warming my hands. Gazzy stumbled in a few minutes later, zipping his sweatshirt up tightly. He smiled at me and sat across the fire from me.

"I love the view of the sun," I said absentmindedly to Gazzy, staring into the fire. "You did a good job picking this spot."

"Don't you remember? This is the cave that we slept in after we finished off the School. You're the one who started the party."

I grinned. "Yeah, because I was so happy that we were finally done with them!"

"Yup. See, there's that spot where Fang burned the wall, and there's where Max shoved Iggy and he landed in the rock," Gazzy said, pointing to a far corner.

I looked at the crumbs of rock left over after their little fight and smirked. "Why were they fighting in the first place?"

Gazzy shrugged. The shadows on his face danced around, flicking from side to side in some crazy dance. "I dunno. I think it was because Fang hit Max."

I nodded, remembering. Fang had slapped Max and she was going in for the kill when Iggy held her back. Iggy knocked Fang out and shoved him over the edge.

"Yeah. Remember how hard it was for us to fly Fang back up here?" I laughed, the image of Gazzy dropping Fang on top of Iggy in my head. Gazzy laughed, and lost his breath.

He nodded, wiping the laugh tears from his eyes. "Aw, man, dude, what the frick was that for!?" He imitated Iggy's voice. We doubled over with the laughter, scattering ashes with our breath.

(0.0) Max (0.0)

Mina pressed her hand against my arm. "When are we going to see Daddy?" She asked in her little girl voice. Her big eyes stared blindly up. I kissed the top of her head and hugged her.

"Soon, baby, soon," I told her. Her brow wrinkled in confusion.

"That's what you said last time, Momma," she reminded me. I laughed, shaking my head.

"Hon, last time wasn't even fifteen minutes ago."

Mina turned away from me, crossing her arms and pouting. "But I miss Daddy," she said, tears springing to life in her eyes. I gently wiped them away and pressed my cheek to her head.

"I know, I know," I told her. "I miss him, too."

Mina suddenly turned around, hugging me. She buried her face in my shoulder. I rubbed her back soothingly to calm her down.

I did miss Iggy. Half a year was too long to go without seeing him, and it was seven months. Seven months since I had wheeled around, unfurled my wings, and flew away with my daughter.

Seven months since he had finally chosen to inform me that she was a freaking werewolf, and if that wasn't enough, that he was the one who had made her that way.

The anger in me was dying down though, replaced with the ever-increasing heart ache that told me that a huge, impossibly large, chunk of my heart was missing. I had to see him, and so did Mina.

"Are you ready to go now, Momma?" Mina asked, tilting her head back and wiping her tears. Her blind eyes met mine almost as if she could see me. I nodded quietly to myself.

"Yes, babe. Let's go," I told her, smoothing her hair down and wishing for the thousandth time that she wasn't as good a mind-reader as Angel.

That chunk of my heart ached, too, as I remembered Angel and Gazzy, their sweet little faces flying away. It had to happen, though. Angel had told me in private, before our good-byes.

Fang and Nudge were a blow though. The whole institution had gone up in flames, a broken gas pipe ignited by a flying spark. Fang and Nudge, gone forever.

Mina stood, picking up her Pooh bear backpack and slinging it over her shoulder. She moved just as easily as Iggy had when blind, if not better.

I tried to shove him out of my mind, trying to quiet the ache. Mina walked to me, holding my backpack, and grabbed my hand. She tugged on it and whispered in my ear.

"Don't forget Daddy, Mommy. Don't forget Daddy."

Her voice was calm, and she squeezed my hand tightly before letting go and jumping into the air. I followed her, making sure she didn't fly too far away from me.

We landed with a skid in the clearing, instantly searching around for Iggy. Mina held onto my hand tightly, fighting to keep up with me as I ran.

"Iggy! Ig-gy!" I yelled, drawing out his name. I swung Mina up and onto my shoulders, keeping her head ducked so she wouldn't knock into a stray branch. She wound her hands into my hair, pulling on it to keep her balance.

"Iggy!" I yelled, my heart raising. I could see a cabin in the distance. "Iggy!"

The door opened and a figure stepped out. My heart instantly fell again at seeing the dark hair on top of it's head. I slowed my run to a walk.

"Max?" A familiar voice called out, confused. Another figure stepped out, wiping her hands.

"Max," Fi's voice said welcomingly. As I got nearer I saw Fang, grinning widely. He ran to me, scooping me up in a hug. Fi was right behind him, plucking Mina off of me and spinning around with her, laughing.

I snatched Mina back protectively. I stared at Fi and nodded in Fang's direction. "I thought you were dead," I said, my voice cold. His face fell, the grin slipping off.

"No, Max. I thought by now Iggy would have told you. I had to leave, to get Fi back," he said sadly, looking over at Fi. He walked over to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close to him. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't just let her disappear from my life."

"And what happened to that rule, what was it? Oh, I can't remember anymore," I said, snapping my fingers as I pretended to try and remember. "Want to help me, Mina?"

Fang stared at me warily and tightened his hold on Fi. Her kitty ears twitched and she took a step forward, but Fang restrained her.

Mina got my thought. "I believe it was called the- Flock Comes First Rule," she said, holding my hand loosely.

Fang gritted his teeth, waiting out my charade.

"Yeah! Yeah! The Flock Comes First Rule! That's it! I can't believe I forgot it, and it's such a simple one! Flock! Comes First!"

Fang stared at me, rage in his eyes. "How can you say that?! Where are Iggy, Nudge, Angel, and Gazzy, huh? Where did _they_ all disappear to?"

He stepped forward, pushing Fi behind him. "At least _I_ know where they are! At least _I_ didn't ditch them when they needed the flock together the _most_!" I took a step forward, dropping Mina's hand. She stared after me, concern on her face.

"Momma...?" She asked, reaching out her hand towards me. I was jsut out of her reach, and I touched her fingers lightly.

"Don't worry, honey, Momma's right here," I said, and heard her sigh of relief.

"And what's this!? You kidnapping children now, Max?" Fang asked, half-yelling. He took a few more steps forward, pointing at Mina.

"NO!" I roared, jumping the few steps to stand in front of him. "She's my daughter!!"

I pulled my arm back, punching him in the jaw before he could react. He spat out blood and glared at me. "I'm not going to sink to your level," he said, accenting the last word with another spit of blood out on the ground.

I punched him again, hitting him in the nose this time. "Yeah? Well, I am!" I replied, and gave him one last punch in the chin before turning around on my heels.

"Mina," I said, reaching out my hand calmly. "Let's go."


	16. Chapter 16

Once again, review, review, review! DO IT, PEOPLE!!

Disclaimer: J. Pat owns Maximum Ride and Co. -jealousy-

**Chapter Sixteen**

Mina crossed her arms stubbornly. "No. Not till you say sorry."

I sighed, mad at myself for teaching her that rule in the first place.

"Fine. Sorry," I spat over my shoulder, not bothering to look at Fang. "Are you ready to go now?" I asked, reaching out my hand again. Mina shook her head.

"Say sorry _to_ him,' she emphasized. I growled, and picked her up in my arms. She squealed, battering my arms with her ting fists. I could feel the bruises growing and ignored them.

"Ow!" I yelled, nearly dropping her as she fisted her hands in my hair and pulled. "Okay! Okay!"

"Say sorry to Fang!" She yelled, tugging harder. I wheeled around as fast as I could. he was standing, and trying to shove Fi off of him, who was trying to clean him up. He sniffed and swiped his sleeve over his nose.

"Sorry!" I yelled. Mina pulled my hair harder, and I could feel the roots coming out. I would be bald any minute now, I realized, unless I could hurry this up. "Sorry! Sorry that I hit you, sorry that I yelled at you!"

Fang smirked as Mina let go and dropped down. She pulled my hand and tugged me impatiently in Fang's direction. I held my ground, and kept her as far away from my hair as possible.

"Bested by a little girl," Fang commented dryly. He glanced at Fi, who was still trying to clean him up. She threw her rag at him and stalked away. "I'm not surprised."

"Why, you!" I stumbled toward him, fighting against Mina's urgent hand pushing me back now.

Fang ducked his head down and growled. His hands tightened into fists and he ran at me, apparently he couldn't control his anger anymore. I pushed Mina carefully away from me. She ran towards the cabin, yelling for Fi.

A hand flew in front of my vision as I stared after my daughter, and I reeled back. Fang missed, and instead swung his arm up to punch my side.

I grunted, and spun around, kicking him in the chest and shoving his face backward at the same time. Blood flew out of his mouth.

"Freaking-" He managed to get out of his mouth, before my hand flew towards him again. He growled again, grabbing my arm and twisting.

I gritted my teeth and swung up my other arm to hit his shoulder and he dropped me.

Fang glared at me, and punched my jaw. He punched me one, two, three more times and let his hands drop. He let out a tight breath.

"Payback," he whispered, as I spat blood out, the coppery taste flying out.

I jumped up, landing on his back. He reached up, trying to pull me off, but I wound my fingers into his hair and yanked hard.

Fi ran up and grabbed me, yanking me off of Fang before I could do any more damage.

Fang turned around, swinging his arm back, and came to a halt when Fi stepped in front of me.

"Stop it, you two!" She exclaimed, turning her head to glare at me. "You fight like it's a tournament challenge!"

Fang scowled as she turned her head round to look at him again. "And you! I thought better of you, but now _this_?!"

"I'm out of here," Fang said, spitting more blood out. He wiped his mouth roughly and turned around, stalking off into the woods.

Fi turned and let out her breath in one big huff.

"Alright. Now that that's over," she said, pushing my shoulder gently towards her house. "Let's get you cleaned up."

I followed her obediently, if only to get my daughter. We walked the short distance to their cabin and entered, the warmth buzzing in my bones. Mina was sitting on the arm of the couch, happily sipping from a mug of hot chocolate. I cuffed her lightly on the head and she obeyed, sliding off the arm onto the floor.

"Where've you been?" Fi asked calmly as she picked up a wet rag and handed it to me. She picked up another one and started to mop up my face. I dabbed at the blood on my knuckles.

"Here...and there..." I mumbled, as she wiped the rag over my jaw. "Just pretty much all over the place," I said. My knuckles were ripped up and I moved on to the other side of my face. "Where were you guys. I thought Fang was...dead."

Fi nodded in the corner of my eye. She stared at my face thoughtfully, nodded, and turned around. She walked out of the room, talking louder so that I could hear her.

"Fang told Iggy not to mention that they saw each other, and he came to save me," she stated, smiling. "It was very brave of him to fight my family for me, but he didn't need to do it."

So Fang has a sweet side after all, huh, I thought. And here I was, thinking he was an icy, cold, b-

"Momma?" Mina asked, and pulled herself up to the counter. She sat by me, wrapping her arms around me in a little girl hug.

"Yes, Mina?" I said, still wiping off my face. Fi grinned and patted Mina's head.

"So, this is your little one," she said, her eyes starting to twinkle with an inner happiness. "Fang told me you were pregnant," she said absentmindedly. "I thought there would be more though, with your avian blood."

I nodded slightly. "There were...complications. They died before they even breathed air."

Fi leaned her head back and stared at me. "I'm...sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to-"

I shook my head, and she gently wiped the tears away, like a sister would. "It's okay. I'm fine."

Mina huddled closer to me, and pulled my head down. She gave a big, slobbery kiss before releasing me. I grinned, ruffling her hair a little.

"Thank you, Mina," I said, hearing the happiness in my own voice. "Now, get off the counter."

Mina obeyed, sliding off the counter. She stood on her tiptoes, trying to put her mug in the sink. Fi let a small slide glide back onto her face and pulled the mug out of her hands, washing it out in the sink herself.

I watched, tossing her the rags from my spot, and jumping up on the counter. I gave Mina an awkward smile, picking her up and putting her on my lap. Fi jumped up by us.

"Hey, Mina," she said, holding out her hand. Mina grinned, sticking her own hand out to shake Fi's. "I'm your auntie!"

Mina laughed. "Auntie!" She said, clearly happy. She glanced over to me, beaming. "Auntie Fi!"

Fi's head snapped up. Mina's hand slipped out of hers. "Fang…" she whispered under her breath, and the door opened. He walked in silently, oblivious to us, frozen, in the kitchen. Fang walked to the fridge and pulled out the milk.

He walked close to us, swinging a cabinet open and pulling out a bowl, spoon, and a cereal box.

"Fang?" I said, watching him carefully. The blood was washed off of his face and hands. He turned his head in my direction.

"Guess I deserved that," he muttered finally, turning away from us. He stood by the table, watching us expectantly.

Mina practically fell off of my lap and was hugging Fang's legs in a flash. His eyes widened in panic and he proceeded to shove her off. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Fang shrieked, throwing cereal all over the walls.

Fi snickered at Fang, and Mina retreated to stand by me again. Her lip trembled.

"But-but- uncle Fang!" She said, and promptly burst into tears. I dropped down and held her close to me, glaring at Fang.

"Look what you've gone and done now!" He stared at me incredulously.

"Me? I'm not the one who went and _kidnapped_ a kid!" Fang yelled at me. Fi's eyes went wide again and she mumbled under her breath.

"I haven't told him yet…"

Fi stood and walked over to Fang, pressing a hand on his chest. She gently pushed him, leaning in to whisper in his ear.

Fang nodded, staring at me, and obeyed her hand, walking out of the kitchen backwards. Fi glanced back at me, an apologizing look on her face.

Mina stared up at me uncertainly. still wiping her tears. I lifter her up and mopped up her face by the sink.

After a few minutes of silence there was a shout.

"SHE'S A WHAT???!"

Fang's voice boomed out. His face appeared at the doorway, angered. He was confused, too, though, and Fi dragged him back.

She walked in the door to pull ot a chair at the table, gesturing for Mina to sit in it.

"I'm guessing you guys are hungry," she said, glancing at me. My stomach instantly rumbled. I nodded, staring down at it meekly. I slapped it.

"Bad boy," I whispered under my breath. I heard Fang's snicker behind me.

"Still talking to yourself, huh, Max?" His arms wrapped me in a brief hug.

"So, who is this?" He asked, turning around to face Mina. Her face brightened from it's sad gloom earlier.

"I'm Mina!" She said happily. Fang grinned and let out a laugh.

"I'm Fang," he replied. She jumped him, hugging him tightly. He squeezed her, letting her drop.

"Uncle Fang!" She repeated. Fang shook his head.

"Nah. You should just call me Fang."


	17. Chapter 17

ACTUALLY READ THIS. DON'T GET PISSED AND EXIT. HEAR ME OUT. NOTE ON STORY AT BOTTOM.

I'm sorry to let everyone down, but nobody has been reading my stories lately. (Stats have gone almost flat) I'm also really sorry to all you out there who have notice things on me and thought this was a new chapter. (Don't worry, I haven't stopped writing it.)

If any of you have heard, I'm taking these stories off of . Not your fault, mine. I don't tend to stay within the boundaries, and I like writing stories that have nothing to do with other stories, and so cannot be called fanfiction because they are totally different. They're just random stories.

Writing random stories is fun for me, and I get it out there in around sixty or so pages. They're my best work, but nobody cn read them, so as a writer I feel the need to get the stories out there. i've started a new website, and I'm going to post everything up there, including my stories that are here on

Strange as it is, I'll also leave the stories on here. I'll tell you on my profile, updating it every week if possible, just how far in each of my stories I am. I'll tell you about my new stories and I'll post the first few chapters of each fanfiction I write on here. If anyobe wants to read the good stuff, you'll have to check out my website.

I really do apologize for pissing you guys off. I've gotten a lot of really good reviews, but they're all for my dead stories. (there's a meaning to the word 'complete', people. It means it's dead, and I won't update it anymore.)

But, anyway, my website isn't totally polished yet. I'm moving stories to it right now, then editing them and finishing them off later, when I can get access to my own computer rather than the computer at the library. My home computer has all the chapters of every story, edited and polished to a high gloss for mass impressiveness. You can also check them out there.

I have two blogs, and might be adding more. One is my own randomness, the other is site updates. If you want to hear from me or talk to me, check me out there, too.

Apologies, again, here is where you can contact me.

And my website is

.com

Don't leave out the weebly, because I can't afford a dot com so I have a free one.

Note- to fans of this story, I will add the new chapters I have once I get home and connect to the net. After that, though, you'll have to be checking out the site. Yeah, punishment, punishment. Sorry, once again.

Love and Awesomeness,

Abbey Dawn


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